The comedian wore a pair of prosthetic teeth in a parody of The White Lotus
The sketch featured Jon Hamm and Scarlett Johansson(Image: NBC)
A Saturday Night Live star (SNL) star has broken her silence over a controversial sketch that fans’ accused of ‘mocking’ Stockport actress Aimee Lou Wood.
Airing last month, the episode that featured an impression of the Sex Education star was presented by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and had Lizzo on music duties.
With the latest season of HBO’s The White Lotus, which Aimee starred in, being one of the most watched shows of the year, SNL decided to make their own version of it.
Titled the ‘White Potus’, the sketch followed US President Donald Trump, portrayed by James Austin, staying in a holiday resort and meeting some of his colleagues.
Featuring a cameo from Scarlett Johansson, the parody saw SNL cast member Sarah Sherman wearing prosthetic teeth to mimic Aimee’s character Chelsea.
Following the episode, Aimee took to her Instagram account to admit that she found the portrayal of her ‘mean and unfunny’.
“Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago. Yes, take the p*** for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way,” Aimee said.
The actress rose to fame on Netflix’s Sex Education(Image: HBO)
Speaking to Vanity Fair about the controversial sketch for the first time, Sarah, who sent a bouquet of flowers to the 31-year-old actress as an apology, said: “I was excited to play her because she’s so iconic, her character is so iconic, and I f****** obviously never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings.
“Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad.”
When it comes to performing comedy, Sarah admitted that she and her colleagues have to think about if any of their material will be considered offensive.
She explained: “The show is in constant dialogue with culture as it’s happening, and it happens really fast.
“You have to be vigilant, you know what I mean? There are a lot of things out of your control. You’re playing a lot of different parts, you’re doing a lot of different roles that you’re not in control of.”
Sarah added: “A lot of the process of the show has been, to me — how am I answering this? [Pause] Staying vigilant but also being a part of the show — that is your job.”
Previously expressing her frustration at how much focus the gap in her teeth have received by the media, Aimee told GQ Hype said it makes her ‘really happy that it’s symbolising rebellion and freedom’.
“There’s a limit. The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work.
“They think it’s nice because they’re not criticising. And, I have to go there… I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much? It’s still going on about a woman’s appearance,” she said.