The actor’s latest role required a more slender look.
Leo Woodall said that he “stopped going to the gym” while auditioning for One Day, out of concern that his muscular physique from The White Lotus wouldn’t be consistent with the role of Dexter Mayhew.
The new Netflix series adapts the popular novel of the same name, which explores a 20-year period in the lives of Dexter and Emma (Ambika Mod), two individuals locked in a will they/won’t they dynamic.
Each episode takes place on 15th July of a given year – also known as St Swithin’s Day – with viewers unravelling how things have changed for the characters in the time elapsed.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Woodall and Mod reflected on whether there was a moment in the lengthy audition process where they thought they might not be cast in the show.
Woodall began: “I remember thinking towards the end of the process, because in The White Lotus I was going to the gym a lot and I was kind of hefty, and I remember thinking that Dex can’t be a big gym guy.
“I thought that was maybe going to be my sort of moment of not getting it. But thankfully, I just sort of stopped going to the gym,” he laughed.
The actor was catapulted to stardom following his performance in Mike White’s satirical drama, where he played cheeky Essex lad Jack, who wasn’t exactly what he appeared to be.
On her own experience, This Is Going to Hurt star Mod said: “I think as an audition process goes on, and the more that you get through each round, and it becomes more rigorous, you’re sort of like, ‘Well, they’ve got to like me,’ and you become a bit more confident in that.
“And then, also, you want it so much more, so the fear of not getting it becomes greater. But there wasn’t a moment when I was like, ‘I’m definitely not in the running for this.’
“Chemistry reads are always bit weird, because it’s just hard to know when you come out if you had chemistry with anyone.”
Obviously, with the show being a romance centred squarely around Dex and Emma, it was of paramount importance that Woodall and Mod could make the sparks fly, which the former says “came organically”.
But speaking of one particular moment that helped them along, Woodall added: “It’s the maze scene. They hug and then they end up very, very close to each other. And we’d just met. So I think that broke a lot of ice.”
One Day is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 8th February 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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