FROM WHITE LOTUS TO ONE DAY: Leo Woodall Is Winning Our Hearts

AN OUTRAGEOUS TURN AS A BAD BOY MADE HIM ONE TO WATCH. NOW HE’S TAKING ON A 20-YEAR LOVE STORY

- JULIA MOORE

You wouldn't know it from watching his breakout turn on The White Lotus, but Leo Woodall loves romance. "I'm a sucker for a '90s rom-com," says Woodall, who shocked audiences with his audacious turn on season 2 of the HBO series playing an enigmatic grifter.

The 27-year-old English actor has a knack for portraying privileged playboys. Now he's poised for Netflix-heartthrob status with a leading role on the romantic series One Day, a fresh adaptation of David Nicholls's 2009 novel, launching Feb. 8. It's all part of a high-profile trajectory he didn't see coming. "Hollywood was never really in the conversation that was just a freak accident," says Woodall, who comes from a family of thespians. "But when I told I my family that I wanted to be an actor, a lot of them weren't that surprised."