This week, actor Aimee Lou Wood joins *The Run-Through* to chat all things *The White Lotus*. Ahead of Sunday’s season finale, fashion and culture writer Hannah Jackson sits down with Chloe to tackle burning fan questions—like why Wood’s character, Chelsea, sticks with the elusive Rick (Walton Goggins), what it was like filming in Thailand for so long, and who she grew closest to in the cast.

Below are edited highlights from their conversation—then dive into the full episode, where Wood also talks about Chelsea’s instantly iconic coconut bra and the rumor that she might play Pattie Boyd in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopic quartet. Could be interesting…

**Chloe Malle:** Aimee, we’re thrilled to have you here because, honestly, *White Lotus* fever has peaked—which sounds like an STD, but feels fitting. It’s rare these days to have a shared viewing experience where everyone’s watching in real time, since everything’s streaming now.

**Aimee Lou Wood:** You know what? I love it. This format is so much better. I’d seen up to episode six but haven’t watched seven or eight yet, so now I’m watching along with everyone else. It feels special—and way less stressful than the binge model. Every other show I’ve done drops all at once, so people are at different points in the story. As an Aquarius, I love being part of the collective.

**Malle:** It’s been fun in the office too. We polled our coworkers on who they think gets killed, and most people I’ve talked to suspect Chelsea.

**Wood:** Theories are everywhere. I’m dying for it to finally air. I got the scripts when I was 29, and now I’m 31—I’ve been sitting on these secrets forever. I can’t wait for Sunday just to be free of them.

**Hannah Jackson:** Your character has such great facial expressions. Do you have a poker face in real life?

**Wood:** I must, to some degree. Yesterday, I ran into some women in an elevator who do Botox, and they pointed out how obvious it is that I haven’t had any because my face is so expressive—especially my eyebrows.

**Malle:** That’s a real concern for actors. Chloe Fineman from *SNL*—who does that famous Melania Trump impression—got Botox only on her chin to keep her forehead mobile, but it ended up uneven, so she couldn’t do the impression anymore.

**Wood:** I’m anti-Botox for myself because my work relies on facial expressions. My face *needs* to move—though sometimes it moves *too* much. I’ll watch scenes back and think, *Jesus, did I really make that face?* Some actors do that restrained, cool, mumbled thing, but I don’t think I’ll ever play a character with a poker face. I just can’t pull it off.

**Malle:** Do you play poker?

**Wood:** I don’t, but I wish I did. It seems so cool. Leslie Bibb’s best friend—one of the coolest women I’ve ever met—used to host an all-women poker game in NYC. There should be a TV show about that.

**Malle:** Tell us about being on set. Did it feel like a group vacation, or were you all hanging out after filming?

**Wood:** I think everyone expected it to feel more like a vacation, but we were working a lot—and living on set, which was unusual. It was like *The Truman Show*. Less vacation, more like a dysfunctional, glorious family. We really leaned on each other.

**Malle:** Did people bring their families or partners?

**Wood:** Yes, and that helped a ton. When Pete—Michelle Monaghan’s husband—arrived with…Their kids came and stayed for a long time, which was really lovely because they brought the outside world right into our space. And Sam [Rockwell]—it was wonderful when he arrived. Leslie [Bibb] and I are extremely close—we still talk every day. We spent all our time together. She’s a Scorpio sun, I’m a Scorpio moon, so we’re deeply connected. But when Sam showed up, she became even more herself. It was like I got an extra layer of Leslie when he arrived because they’re just the best couple.

**Jackson:** Can you talk about the challenges of being in that environment and how you relied on each other?

**Wood:** Living in a beautiful hotel has its perks, but it becomes your entire world. Most places we stayed were just cast and crew—the only people you saw were each other. You can’t cook for yourself, and a lot of your self-worth comes from everyday tasks like doing laundry, folding clothes, making food, or walking to the store. That’s how you feel human.

On set, everyone already knows your every move, but usually, you can decompress in your own space afterward. That wasn’t happening here. Everyone knew which villa we were in—it felt like being watched constantly, like a reality show. It started to feel a little crazy.

**Malle:** Was anyone a Method actor who made it hard to relax around?

**Wood:** I think we all became accidentally Method. It wasn’t intentional—there was just no escape. Some nights at dinner, people would quote lines from the show without realizing it.

I think I slipped into it too. Mia, my hairstylist, told me halfway through, *”Baby, you need to go home because I don’t know if I’m talking to Chelsea or Aimee.”* And I was like, *”I don’t even know who I am.”* There was a lot of personal mirroring with [Walton]. Our lives aren’t the same as our characters’, but everyone’s essence matched theirs—except Patrick [Schwarzenegger]. He’s nothing like Saxon.

**Malle:** One of Chelsea’s most endearing traits is her endless forgiveness. Do you think her ability to forgive Rick is a strength or a weakness?

**Wood:** That’s such an interesting question because I’ve been thinking about it a lot. She taught me a lot about where I might stumble in life. There were moments where I naturally reacted like Chelsea. She has this stubborn belief in fate—that things are predetermined. While that can feel magical, it’s also disempowering because it means she believes she has no choice, no free will. That’s why she and Rick are so similar.

People say, *”Look how selfless she is,”* but really, she deflects. She’s always saying, *”Rick is so mysterious, you’re so secretive,”* but we know nothing about *her*. She puts all her focus on him to avoid being seen. I think a lot of anxious-attached people gravitate toward avoidant partners so they don’t have to be fully known. Intimacy is about *”into me, see,”* but she’s with someone who can’t fully see her—and in a way, that suits her. What’s interesting about Saxon and Chelsea is that he actually likes being seen by her, even when it’s brutal.

**Malle:** One of my favorite scenes so far is Chelsea deflecting Saxon’s advances with a stack of meditation books. I thought that was…One of the best “no, thank you” moments any young woman has ever delivered. What was it like filming that scene?

**Wood:** That was my very last scene—the final one I filmed. My first scene was with Patrick, where we did the “How do I get a drink around here?” exchange. So it felt emotional that we started together and ended together. That moment really sums up Chelsea—she pushes people away with things that seem intimate, like saying, *No, don’t look at me. Look at these books, these quotes, these star signs instead.*

**Malle:** Do you miss everyone now? Are there group chats?

**Wood:** So many group chats. I still talk to Leslie every day, Michelle all the time—really, everyone. We’re still close. It was tough because I went back to England while most of the cast was in New York or LA, so I missed a lot of hangouts. I had serious FOMO, but Patrick’s great at saying, *”We’re all here, we miss you.”* As much as I wanted to go home, leaving that family was scary. Filming that last scene, I remember thinking, *This is it.* I was desperate to get back to London, my friends, my flat—but terrified of losing that bond and stepping back into the real world.

It helped when Michelle came to London for work. We went to dinner, and I realized I wasn’t alone—she felt the same, Natasha felt the same. Talking about it made it easier. Then, once the first episode aired, it stopped feeling like *ours* and became the world’s. A weight lifted.

**Jackson:** What’s next for you?

**Wood:** I just wrapped *Daddy Issues* season two—a hilarious, silly show I love. That set feels like home. I also wrote a series called *Film Club*, coming out this year. It’s about a girl named Evie who can’t leave the house, so she hosts a Friday film club with her best friend (who she’s secretly in love with). Very rom-com—I’m all about bringing those back.

**Malle:** Favorite rom-com?

**Wood:** *Broadcast News*. I love rom-coms that aren’t *quite* rom-coms. *When Harry Met Sally* is a close second, then *Sleepless in Seattle*. Holly Hunter and Meg Ryan are icons—I miss that era. My dream is to write a movie like *Sleepless in Seattle*, the kind you rewatch on a cozy Sunday.

**Jackson:** What’s your culture diet lately?

**Wood:** I’ve been out of the loop—in Thailand, I didn’t watch anything because I was fully immersed in my own story.

**Jackson:** Heard you’re a *Girls* fan?

**Wood:** Recently, yes!

**Jackson:** Which girl are you?

**Wood:** None of them are great, right? Probably Hannah.

**Malle:** I’m a Marnie.

**Jackson:** [Laughs] That’s terrible.

**Wood:** Sometimes I feel a bit Shosh, though.I think I’m probably Hannah sun, Shosh rising.

Jackson: And your moon? I’m sensing a little bit of Jessa in you. Just a hint, though.

Malle: Chelsea is Jessa.

Jackson: The free-spirited vibe. But I also think you’ve got the grounded energy of a Shoshana.

Wood: Thank you!

Malle: Aimee, thanks so much for being here with us. We’re on the edge of our seats for this weekend—I know you are too.