It Turns Out That One Day Star Leo Woodall's Dad Is Also A Famous Actor

In fact, the White Lotus star has a number of actors in his immediate family.
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Leo Woodall plays Dexter in Netlix's new adaptation of One Day
Robert Viglasky/Netflix

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably spent the past 48 hours wrestling with whether or not to blitz through the rest of One Day before the end of the weekend, or ration out the episodes to make the most of Dexter and Emma’s love story before… the inevitable.

This latest adaptation of David Nicholls’ much-loved story features Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall in the lead roles of Emma and Dexter – and if you’re struggle to remember exactly where you recognise them from, it’s entirely possible you’ve seen her in This Is Going To Hurt or I Hate Suzie.

Leo, on the other hand, previously appeared in the second season of The White Lotus. However, what you might not realise is that he’s actually from a bit of a showbiz family.

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Leo Woodall as Jack in The White Lotus
HBO

His dad is Andrew Woodall, whose on-screen credits include the sitcom Miranda, the true crime drama Des, the Star Wars prequel Solo and the recent thriller The Couple Next Door.

You may have also seen Andrew on stage, too. His most notable theatre credits include as the titular role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2017 revival of Julius Caesar, as well as the same company’s Antony And Cleopatra the following year.

More recently, he also appeared in Bloody Difficult Women and Admissions.

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Andrew Woodall at the premiere of Bloody Difficult Women in 2019
Dave Benett via Getty Images

Leo’s stepfather is Monarch Of The Glen’s Alexander Morton, while his great grandmother was Maxine Elliott, a silent film star in the 1910s.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Leo opened up growing up in a family of so many actors, revealing his father would jokingly tell him: “Whatever you do, don’t be a fucking actor.”

He added: “I was so nervous about what my family would think of me as an actor. Just, ‘was I any good?’. I’ve always felt this personal pressure to make it. And they’ve always been wonderful and supportive.

“It’s the same with a lot of kids who want to make their family proud, who want to succeed, be good at what they do… It’s definitely an approval thing. It’s nothing to do with how they are. It’s completely self-inflicted. And that’s OK, I suppose. It’s a motivator.”

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Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall as Emma and Dexter in One Day
Teddy Cavendish/Netflix

Fortunately, Leo needn’t worry. Only a few years into his career, he’s already landed roles in two of the most talked-about shows in recent history, with his role in The White Lotus earning him a Screen Actors’ Guild Award for Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series.

His upcoming projects include the films Nomad and A Waiter In Paris, as well as the TV spy thriller Citadel.

One Day is now streaming on Netflix.