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Aimee Lou Wood is best known for portraying the “popular but nice girl” character Aimee Gibbs in Sex Education, which won her a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.
Aimee would be almost impossible not to like; she oozes warmth and charisma. However, it’s the actor’s undeniable old soul – she’s thoughtful, self-aware and reflective without falling into melancholy, and feels “most comfortable” befriending people years older than her – that renders her perfect for the part we’re discussing today, acting alongside Bill Nighy in Living.
Aimee plays Margaret, a vicarious young colleague to Bill Nighy’s character Mr Williams, a civil servant who reassesses his life decisions after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. It’s a beautiful film that celebrates living in the moment and the power of intergenerational friendship, and it’s clear from our conversation that Aimee has got a lot out of the role, both from a personal and professional perspective.
In conversation with GLAMOUR, Aimee shares what she’s learnt from starring alongside Bill Nighy in Living; how she blew off steam by giggling with co-star Alex Sharp; and why she values curiosity above all else in life.
GLAMOUR UK: Hi, Aimee! Living is gorgeous. It’s incredibly well-acted by you and Bill Nighy, and you have such a beautiful rapport. How was it working together?
The film conveys how I feel about Bill. I just absolutely adore him, and it was the most incredible experience working with him: on an actor level, on a human level. I learned so much by osmosis, by just being around him. It was really special, and I'm so glad that the film brought us together.
He'd order in these amazing lunches to the set, like Italian pasta arrabbiata, and then we’d just find a table to talk about life – he’d tell me amazing stories from his life, and I’d ask him for advice.
That's so lovely to know your friendship translated offscreen as well. And did you connect much with the character of Margaret?
I want to be more like Margaret, I find her very aspirational. She's incredibly courageous in how present and “in the now” she is – and how she makes decisions. She's decisive. She doesn't like the job, so she changes jobs, even if it's going to go wrong. She would rather try it and fail than not try at all. I can definitely get very stuck in my thoughts, analysing and overthinking, and it can make me procrastinate. It can make me freeze or fester. So I very much liked being Margaret for a while, and having that dynamic energy that she has whilst also being extremely kind. She wants to have a good life, so she’s trying things out. That’s extremely admirable.
I love the idea of Margaret being generally aspirational in how she lives her life, not just in her career. Do you feel like you'll be taking some of those lessons into your career, though?
I’ve got a thoughtful, critical brain when it comes to making decisions, and I definitely tried to take some of that Margaret energy with me from the film in terms of going with my gut. For instance, when I get a script, thinking, “I’m going to do it”, rather than “I’m scared”, or considering why I shouldn’t do it – which I think Margaret's very good at. She's in her experiences rather than thinking about how she will be perceived. Like Mr Williams says, “I wasn't totally sure that your attitude was right”. But she's got that rebellious streak, and it’s great. It makes her into a bit of a maverick.
I'm actually reading Alan Rickman's diaries [Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman] at the moment. And one of the things he talks about a lot is the fact that he thinks he said “No” too often to jobs, and then he sees the films that he said no to come out, and he goes, “Oh shit.” A lot of the time, it's great to have that ownership. But sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and do things that are outside of your comfort zone – and, if it fails, so what? So I'm trying to be a bit more like that.
That’s so interesting that you're now reading Alan Rickman's book as well, as his experience leading up to his death almost mirrors the film [Alan was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2015, which he kept secret until his death in 2016].
Yes – there's a lot of mirroring in the lessons that I learn from the film, and I'm kind of relearning them by reading Alan Rickman's book because he had such a full life. He really saw people – even the child actors he worked with, he really saw them as their own people. He hasn't got that adult thing, where he sees children as just children, and that's it. He’s got that endlessly curious, open notion of “we can learn so much from these kids.” I find it incredibly inspiring how much he notices people and the small things, and that’s kind of what Living is about too.
This is a genius crossover.
That brings us back to the film, and one of its central themes: intergenerational friendships. I think it’s a really beautiful thing, seeing this purely platonic, intergenerational friendship between this older man and younger woman. It’s a celebration of youth, and of reverse mentorship, in a way.
It's so true that people can dismiss young people, you know, they can overlook young people and not really think that they have any wisdom to impart. What I love about Mr Williams is that he says, “No, she has the answers, and I need to listen to her.” That's a wonderful attribute in a person: to be open and listen. You can always learn from people. Curiosity is the most important thing in life. If you are thinking that you’re a finished product – that you're done and no one can teach you anything – then you're gonna have a miserable life. I love having friendships with older people – whenever I’m in a play, for instance, it will always be the oldest person in the cast that I make best friends with. So I really related to that aspect of Margaret. I actually feel a lot more relaxed being with older people than people my age.
That’s so interesting. I think a lot of people can relate, and there needs to be more space for those friendships to happen. Do you think that post #MeToo, it’s harder – in a world where relationships, particularly relationships in the music and acting worlds – are more under scrutiny than before – to have this kind of friendship?
In the film, I understand that maybe at first, Mr Williams’ draw to Margaret could be perceived as suspicious. She herself calls it out, and they have a slightly uncomfortable but necessary chat, where she says to Mr Williams: “You know, people are going to start to think you're becoming infatuated.” As with all good relationships, trust and respect has to be there. Both are there in abundance for Margaret and Mr Williams and this is what allows the friendship to bloom. It would not be possible otherwise.
I have many friendships with older men that are totally a space of safety, joy and comfort for me. I see evidence every day of amazing, unlikely connections and friendships. I’ve also, unfortunately, had the other end of the spectrum, as I’m sure Margaret has too. You can see how some of the other office workers treat her, and it’s part of the reason she leaves that place. The #MeToo movement has empowered people no end, and I am so thankful for it and I’m sure Margaret would be too.
Talking of forming friendships on set, did you have much contact with Kazuo Ishiguro?
My God, he is just the most amazing person. We didn’t have any interaction while we were filming, but since it wrapped, I’ve seen him and his wife, Laura lots. They’re the best couple ever. And he’s amazing, so kind and wise; listening to him speak is the biggest gift when you’re doing a panel. And obviously an amazing writer.
You’ve achieved so much in your career over the past few years, like winning a BAFTA for your role in Sex Education. Is that the high point of your career so far?
From the outside, it always feels like those are the things – awards – are going to be the peak, and it really was amazing, but I think that I'm always surprised by the moments that get to me the most. It’s usually not such a big dazzling moment – it will be a small one, like being sat in the pub with Bill [Nighy] doing a scene. It’s usually in the “doing” of acting, to be honest – the experience of doing it. I love when I’m in a scene that is just working, and you’ve figured it out with that fellow actor, and you’re in it and it’s magic.
I can see why you were cast in Living – it sounds like you’re embodying the “in the moment” philosophy right now! Living is a film that, although incredibly heartwarming, has the idea of death at its core. And you’ve actually done a few roles with dark undertones – including Uncle Vanya, and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, which has a plotline revolving around cancer. Are you more drawn to these “dark” parts or something lighter and more comedic like Sex Education?
I love the fact I've been able to do both of those things [in my career], because life is happy and sad, it is bittersweet, it’s tragic and funny. I enjoy plummeting the depths of my emotions. Like when I’m acting, I actually find it easier to cry than laugh, for example. I don’t know if that's a good thing, but I definitely feel like sometimes, when you're in a story, it just allows you to go to a place that we can't go to every day – because we have to crack on and do whatever. There's something painful but beautiful about it, when I'm doing a scene with Bill [Nighy] where it's really on the brink of tragic. I actually feel most connected to myself after I've done a scene like that, rather than a fun scene.
Your character, Margaret, gives Bill Nighy’s character, Mr Williams, the nickname “Mr. Zombie”. Yeah. did you have any on-screen nicknames like that – or any in-jokes?
It was really hard having to call [Bill Nighy] Mr. Zombie! I hated that. We didn’t have any nicknames on set – but Alex [Sharp] and I, who plays Peter, have a lot of inside jokes. We were like naughty school kids when we were together – we were definitely “told off” for giggling a couple of times! Then on the days we were [in scenes with] the “adults”, it inverted – and we had to be well-behaved.
My final question: this is a film about mortality. What would you do if it was your last day on Earth?
I would probably just see all my favourite people. I would get them together in a comfy cottage somewhere, get my boyfriend to play the piano, and have a big group sing-along.
Living, starring Aimee Lou Wood and Bill Nighy, is out in UK cinemas now.
