If you haven't heard of Leo Woodall yet, where have you been hiding? The star of Netflix's recent series One Day, Leo's now about to solidify his heartthrob status by starring in the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About The Boy.
Following months of speculation and hopeful wishing, the studio behind Bridget Jones has confirmed that everyone's favourite heroine will return for a fourth film, Mad About The Boy. Adapted from Helen Fielding's 2013 novel, the film will see Renee Zellweger's Bridget reunite with Hugh Grant's dashingly handsome but abound with red flags Daniel Cleaver. Sadly, Colin Firth will not return to the cast as Mark Darcy, who married Bridget in the last instalment, as Bridget is now a widow.
Hear that? That's the sound of our hearts breaking.
Leo will be joining the cast alongside the likes of Emma Thompson, who starred as Bridget's doctor in the third film, as well a fellow White Lotus star in Chiwetel Ejiofor.
It's not entirely known which character Leo will play, but if the film stays true to the novel, he may be starring as Bridget's younger lover. The film is set to be released on 14 February, 2025 - meaning we've already got our Valentine's Day plans sorted.
And with the news finally out, fans were thrilled to know there'll be more Leo on our screens soon.
One gushed, 'Leo Woodall in a classic romcom, my scream will be heard around the world.'
Another added, 'Leo Woodall and Hugh Grant? I am going to throw up (from excitement)'
Ahead of him entering the world of Bridget Jones, here's everything to know about Leo Woodall - including where he's from, more on his Bridget Jones role, and where you've seen him before.
How old is Leo and where was he born?
Leo was born in London on 14 September 1996, making him 27 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 is from a family of actors, and his dad Andrew Woodall recently appeared in Channel 4's The Couple Next Door.
What movies and TV shows has Leo 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.
It was announced earlier this year that Leo will star as the lead in upcoming Apple TV+ thriller Prime Target, following a young maths graduate, 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 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.
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's role in Bridget Jones?
It's not entirely confirmed exactly what role Leo will be playing just yet in Mad About The Boy, but if the book is anything to go by, he could be starring at Bridget's younger love interest. It's been suggested Leo will play the attractive 30-year-old whom Bridget starts sleeping with as she dips her toes into the world of dating following Mark Darcy's tragic death.
Is Leo Woodall single?
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, 33, 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.
What is Leo Woodall's Instagram?
Leo's grid shows off professional photoshoots, fun-filled getaways and trips with friends. His followers have doubled since One Day came out (and that was only on 8 February), and his handle is @leowoodall.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is set to air on February 14, 2025.