Nadia Conners, the wife of actor Walton Goggins, has spoken out about the rumours surrounding his relationship with co-star Aimee Lou Wood.
Earlier this year, Goggins, 53, and Wood, 31, starred as age-gap lovers, Rick and Chelsea, in the third season of HBO’s hit satire White Lotus.
Rumours of a feud between the actors emerged in April. Following the season finale of the series, fans noticed that Goggins and Wood – who had previously sparked romance rumours with their public praise for one another – appeared to unfollow each other on Instagram and that the actors had refrained from tagging one another in posts of their characters.
Some speculated that Goggins had blocked Wood on the social media platform as her comments were no longer visible under his posts. Meanwhile, his comments were still visible on her posts.
Speaking to Hello! Magazine, Conners, 53, brushed off the romance rumours, attributing the interest in her husband’s life to the nature of his job.
“It’s odd to see it but it’s an indication of how much people were invested in the fictional characters,” she said. “I take it as a sign that he’s quite popular.”
Conners is a writer and director who previously worked with Leonardo DiCaprio on 2008’s environment documentary The 11th Hour. She and Goggins began dating in 2005 and got married in 2011. They share one son, 14-year-old Augustus Somerset Goggins.
The speculation surrounding the actors’ relationship was amplified when Goggins praised a Saturday Night Live sketch, which Wood had publicly called out for making fun of her appearance.
During an April episode of NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series, the SNL cast members reimagined The White Lotus as The White Potus, with Sarah Sherman parodying Chelsea. Her portrayal included a fake British accent and protruding prosthetic teeth.
Wood later criticised the skit, insisting that there must have been a “cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way” to spoof her looks. Goggins, however, hailed the “amazing” and “smashing” sketch in a since-deleted Instagram comment.
Neither actor has said anything to suggest they are feuding. Although Goggins did shut down questions about the subject in an interview with The Times in May.
Also in May, a month after the SNL skit, Wood said she “loved working with Walton”, calling the experience “the best thing ever”.
Contrary to the feud rumours, it is believed that the pair are working together on a new project, although details are unclear.
According to CNN correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister: “There is something professionally that they are doing in the coming weeks together.
“So if there really is a feud, this has not stopped them. It’s not like they can’t be in the same room, is my point.”
Prior to the feud rumours, Goggins had heaped praise on his co-star, calling her the “brightest light in every room” on Instagram. In February, he told People magazine: “We both became enmeshed in each other the way that Rick and Chelsea are. So I think the world of her.”
The White Lotus season three starred Goggins and Wood in an ensemble cast that also included Jasoc Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Carrie Coon, Natasha Rothwell, and Lalisa Manoban of the K-Pop group Black Pink.
The series, which relocated to Thailand, came to an end after eight episodes in April. It received favourable reviews from critics and fans.
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