Aimee Lou Wood, 31, shared her struggle with body dysmorphia while filming bikini scenes as Chelsea in the third season of the Emmy-nominated HBO series The White Lotus. She revealed this in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.
The actress explained how she overcame negative thoughts by separating herself from her role:
“I shook myself out of it by thinking, ‘It’s not about whether Aimee wants to show her body or not – Chelsea does.’”
She also said that Chelsea’s optimistic and spiritual nature helped her feel more confident, and over time, the line between her and her character blurred.
Aimee described how starring in the widely popular American show changed her life, leading to frequent trips to Los Angeles for work and press.
However, she found the Hollywood environment challenging emotionally:
“I find LA emotionally bulimic, and I say that as an ex-bulimic. It is this super-sized adventure where everyone’s talking about you all the time and you have to talk about yourself all the time.”
Aimee also revealed that before filming, she battled bulimia. This made her insight into the pressures around body image especially personal.
Author’s summary: Aimee Lou Wood candidly discusses how portraying Chelsea on The White Lotus helped her confront body dysmorphia and navigate the emotional challenges of fame in Los Angeles.