If you haven't heard of Leo Woodall yet, where have you been hiding? The star of the Netflix series One Day, Leo is now about to solidify his heartthrob status by starring in the fourth Bridget Jones film called Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
Following months of speculation and anticipation, a trailer for Bridget Jones 4 has finally been released and as a result, we're now counting down the days until the movie arrives in cinemas on 14 February 2025. Adapted from Helen Fielding's 2013 novel, the film will see Renee Zellweger's Bridget Jones reunite with Hugh Grant's dashingly handsome but abound with red flags Daniel Cleaver. Sadly, Colin Firth as Mark Darcy will not be a key character this time around, as the trailer has revealed that Bridget is now a widow.
Also in the trailer, we were able to catch a glimpse of Leo in his role as Roxster as well as Emma Thompson - who starred as Bridget's doctor in the third film - and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mr Wallaker. Seemingly both Leo as Roxster and Chiewetel as Mr Wallaker compete for the affections of Bridget Jones. Hey, it's not Bridget Jones if there's not a love triangle!
And safe to say, fans are delighted by the addition of Leo Woodall to the iconic film franchise.
Here's everything you need to know about the West London actor who's achieved critical acclaim....
How old is Leo Woodall and where is he from?
Leo was born in London on 14 September 1996, making him 28 years old. He attended Arts Educational School in Chiswick and currently lives in north London with his brother.
For those who have seen Leo in both The White Lotus and One Day, the actor admits to being more similar to posh boy Dexter Mayhew than Essex boy Jack in real life. He's from a family of actors, and his dad Andrew Woodall recently appeared in Channel 4's The Couple Next Door.
Who is Leo Woodall's dad?
In turns out that acting is firmly in Leo's blood because not only is his father is Andrew Woodall (The Riot Club, Belle), but his mother, Jane Mary Ashton, trained as an actor - meeting his father at drama school - though ultimately opted for a different career path as a landlady. And then his stepfather is Scottish actor Alexander Morton, perhaps best known for his role as Golly Mackenzie in Monarch of the Glen.
Despite the clear familial links, could we really call Leo Woodall a nepotism baby? It turns out Leo wasn't exactly encouraged to pursue the stage. In an interview with The Guardian, Leo talks about how his father told him, 'Whatever you do, don’t be a f***ing actor. Good thing he didn't listen!
What movies and TV shows has Leo Woodall starred in?
Leo went to drama school when he was 19 years old, and used to work in Hollister as he struggled to find his feet. He made his acting debut in 2019 in the short film Man Down, going on to star in the Tom Holland crime drama Cherry, as well as Amazon's spy drama Citadel. Leo also took on the lead in the feature film Nomad and portrays Adrian Ivashkov in Vampire Academy.
In interviews, he's said he was surprised to have been cast in 2022's The White Lotus – Mike White's star-studded whodunit set in a luxury hotel in Sicily – since he was a relatively unknown actor. For his role as Jack in The White Lotus, the west Londoner said he used TOWIE's Joey Essex to inspire his Essex accent. Explaining he watched four videos of the reality star before auditioning, Leo told GQ, '[While filming] they all had no idea what I was saying half the time. All the Americans in the cast, Mike [White, the showrunner], the Italians. No one really knew what I was saying.'
While he was away filming The White Lotus, Leo auditioned for the part of Dexter Mayhew for hit series One Day (admitting he hadn't read the best-selling book before the audition, but had watched the 2011 film starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway). Whatever he did, it certainly paid off. In June 2022, he was cast as Dexter opposite AmbikaMod.
He follows in the footsteps of Jim Sturgess, who played the character in the 2011 film adaptation, which was met with mixed reviews (pointing fingers at Anne Hathaway's Yorkshire accent). Netflix's adaptation, however, has been met with a spate of five-star reviews.
What was Leo Woodall's role in One Day?
Leo plays the lead role of Dexter Mayhew in the Netflix adaptation of One Day. The 14-part series explores his enduring friendship with Emma Morley (played by This is Going to Hurt star Ambika Mod) after meeting her at a graduation party in Edinburgh in 1988.
We watch Dexter embark on a sketchy TV presenting career after graduating, and turn to drugs and alcohol at the height of his fame. In times of crisis, he takes his relationship with Emma for granted, before salvaging it at the last minute. All the while, he remains charming, loveable and hopeful – and Leo's performance has been praised for helping redefine the rom-com male lead.
In his interview with the Guardian, Leo said, 'I feel that most people, the people you meet on a daily basis, they are good. And often you find a way to recognise the signs that someone’s going through something. It’s not black and white, is it? This person is being a dickhead, therefore they are a dickhead?' Before adding, 'I mean, sometimes people are just dickheads.' Dexter, however, is just someone who 'goes through a lot', as Leo puts it. 'His journey is tumultuous, it’s a rollercoaster. And perhaps he’s not well equipped enough to deal with it.'
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live one day after the show landed on Netflix, Leo spoke about how they managed to age him twenty years throughout filming, and what it was like using 'dodgy phones' and 'typewriters' to accurately emulate the '90s. 'They gave me crows feet and a couple of grey hairs. I tried adding a walk that made me look older and they immediately told me "you're 40, not 80",' he joked.
Fans were so obsessed with Dexter and Emma, and consequently Leo and Ambika that 'Are Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod friends?' became a trending search on Google after the series aired. The answer to that question? You'll be pleased to know that it's a yes.
As well as all their sweet moments together in interviews, Leo has said of his bond with Ambika, 'We knew that we were going to lean on each other a bit, and we were lucky in that we did bond early, and and it made working a lot easier. I think maybe our friendship carried through on screen.'
What was Leo Woodall's role in The White Lotus?
Leo played magnetic Essex boy Jack, who was hired by his fake uncle Quentin to distract Tanya's assistant Portia on a trip to Palermo so that the gang can kill Tanya. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel about his role, Leo joked that his mum didn't expect him to be 'sodomising an older man' in his first breakout role. If you don't know what we mean, make sure you catch up on season two.
During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Leo said, 'I actually nearly missed The White Lotus audition because I didn't check my emails.' Lucky he eventually did, as he went on to star alongside Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Adam DiMarco and Tom Hollander.
What is Leo Woodall doing now?
Leo's been keeping himself busy since the release of One Day, with the trailer recently released for Apple TV's thriller Prime Target - following a young maths graduate, Leo's character Edward Brook, who discovers the secret to prime numbers.
Now, we also know he'll be starring in the fourth Bridget Jones film, released next year!
What is Leo Woodall's role in Bridget Jones?
Leo will be playing Roxster in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, and if the book is anything to go by, he plays Bridget's younger love interest. Seemingly Leo will play the attractive 29-year-old whom Bridget starts sleeping with as she dips her toes into the world of dating following Mark Darcy's tragic death.
Who is Leo Woodall dating?
The good thing about being cast in a super successful TV show full of famous actors is that you might wind up dating one of them. That's exactly what happened for Leo when he met The White Lotus co-star Meghann Fahy on set in Sicily, Italy.
Shortly after the second season of The White Lotus aired, rumours started circulating that Leo was dating his co-star Meghann (who plays Daphne), and in November 2023 those rumours were as good as confirmed. The pair have been spotted walking around London together, with pictures of them kissing under an umbrella published online. Since then, they've made it Instagram official - regularly featuring in each other's photo dumps.
Two weeks after One Day launched on Netflix, Meghann officially hard-launched their relationship on Instagram by posting a cute picture of the couple walking off arm in arm into the distance. Leo playfully commented, 'who's he?!'
Fans jokingly wrote, 'she saw us thirsting over him and had to set the record straight', and 'oh she really said Dex is mine'. Given the outpouring of love and adoration Leo has received for his role as Dexter in the hit series, it's easy to understand why.
How tall is Leo Woodall?
According to Hamilton Hodell - the team that manage him - Leo stands at 6ft 1.
What is Leo Woodall's Instagram?
Leo's grid shows off professional photoshoots, fun-filled getaways and trips with friends. His handle is @leowoodall.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is set to air on February 14, 2025.