Leo Woodall.Photo:Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage
Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage
Leo Woodallsays playing the heartthrob isn’t always glamorous.
When asked in a new interview if he ever feels “objectified” in his leading man roles, the 28-year-old actor acknowledged that “it’s part of the gig” — but said it brings up feelings of insecurity and vulnerability.
“There are sides of it that can make you feel quite vulnerable and exposed. That side isn’t as fun,” he told U.K. magazineRadioTimes.“When you’re playing a role described like that, you can’t help but look at yourself and go, ‘Am I that guy?’ There’s sometimes pressure in making people buy that.”
Woodall’s latest movie role finds him starring as the much younger love interest ofRenée Zellweger’s titular character in theBridget JonessequelMad About the Boy.
Reacting to the trend of shows and films highlighting such relationships between an older woman and a younger man, Woodall toldRadioTimes: “It’s a dynamic that has always existed in the real world. And for reasons I’m not sure of, it’s now being portrayed on screen. That’s important, because that’s what filmmaking is best at: portraying all walks of life.”
“But this particularBridgetisn’t about that,” he noted. “A lot of it is her grieving and her motherhood. And thankfully my character comes in and puts a smile on her face.”
Leo Woodall in a ‘Mad About the Boy’ scene.Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
He said he didn’t go into the project “thinking I wanted to explore” that type of “boy toy” role, explaining it was the compelling script that drew him in. “I thought the script was beautiful and wanted to be a part of it,” he told the outlet.
“I’ve always loved the films,” he toldRadioTimes. “There’s only so many chances you’ll get to be a part of something as special asBridget Jones.”
Leo Woodall in ‘One Day’ on Netflix.Ludovic Robert/Netflix
Ludovic Robert/Netflix
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Last year, Woodall opened up to PEOPLE about his romantic turn in the Netflix drama seriesOne Day(based on the 2009 David Nicholls book) and how he felt “protective” over how he portrayed his wealthy playboy character Dex.
“There was a real vulnerability deep inside this character, where the face of him is [a] confident, privileged, golden boy, and I think digging deeper into him, there was a lot of fragility and vulnerability,” he said at the time.
“I felt a lot of empathy for him. I felt quite protective of him once I started to get closer to the role,” he continued. “And I also just think it was a beautiful story.”
In the time-spanning series, Oxford student Dex encounters Emma (Ambika Mod) on the final night of university in a chance meeting that ends up shaping the trajectory of both of their lives. As they go in and out of each others' lives over the next two decades, they alternate between giving in to their chemistry and denying it.
“I think there was definitely a serious responsibility that me and Ambika both felt to tell their stories,” theWhite Lotusstar told PEOPLE.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boypremieres Feb. 13 on Peacock.
source: people.com
