Born on September 14, 1996, in Hammersmith, West London, Leo Woodall has quickly risen through the ranks, landing roles that have put him under the spotlight. Let’s take a look at the life and career of ‘The White Lotus’ star.
Woodall’s Career Insights
Although he comes from a family of actors, including his father, stepfather, and grandmother, Woodall initially leaned toward sports. It wasn’t until the age of 19, while watching the series ‘Peaky Blinders,’ that he decided to shift his focus to acting. This decision led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Acting, which he completed in 2019 at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London.
Woodall’s on-screen debut came shortly after his graduation, with a guest appearance in a 2019 episode of the BBC One medical soap opera ‘Holby City’ and a role in the short film ‘Man Down.’ His career soon led him to his feature film debut in ‘Cherry,’ directed by the Russo brothers. However, Woodall made his breakthrough with the HBO series ‘The White Lotus,’ where he played Jack, a young tourist vacationing in Sicily with his uncle Quentin (Tom Hollander).
Woodall’s portrayal in ‘The White Lotus’ has won him fans and critical acclaim, especially after an intimate scene with Quentin. Here is what he recalled about his initial reaction to the script:
“When I found out I was doing it, I couldn’t speak for ten seconds. Then I thought, ‘That’s such a brilliant moment.’ They are weird to do but then you’re like, ‘Let’s just embrace it.’ We had intimacy coordinators, and I felt very comfortable.”
Off-screen, Woodall often shares behind-the-scenes moments with his 146k Instagram followers.
Is Woodall From Essex Like Jack?
Although Jack in ‘The White Lotus’ is from Essex, Woodall isn’t. To stay true to his character, the actor studied Essex’s accent. Speaking to Vulture, he looked back on his studies and said:
“I’m from West London. But there’s definitely a lot of people I know from Essex. My stepsister’s from Essex, so it was fun to lean into that.
I didn’t want to do a straight, stereotypical Essex person you may see on The Only Way Is Essex. Director Mike White allowed me, as with Tom, to make the Englishness come out more.”
Woodall then added that watching videos of Joey Essex also helped him prepare for his role.
His Future Projects
As of now, Woodall is set to star as Dexter Mayhew in the Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls’ ‘One Day‘ opposite Ambika Mod. He’s also been cast in an Amazon Prime series titled ‘Citadel‘ and has secured a role in the feature film ‘Nomad.‘
