Woodall plays the titular role, acting as the object of the unnamed protagonist’s (Rachel Weisz) affection — and obsession — when he begins teaching at the same college as her. Somehow both deeply attentive and utterly clueless, the young professor struggles to juggle his course load, his own writing, and his relationship with his wife Cynthia (Jessica Henwick). There’s an immediate connection between him and the main character… or is there? Told from the (not always entirely truthful) protagonist’s perspective, the audience struggles to parse out the true nature of their relationship, giving Woodall the challenging exercise of constantly toeing the delicate line between reality and fantasy.
Collider got the chance to speak to Woodall about how he approached such a task. Throughout the conversation, he also discussed what it was like working with Weisz, the most difficult part of acting while chained to a chair, his character’s shocking fate in that wild finale, and more.
Leo Woodall Talks Working With Rachel Weisz in ‘Vladimir’
“We had quite a lot to talk about and reminisce over.”
COLLIDER: You’re acting opposite a legend in Rachel Weisz. Do you remember the first project of hers you saw, or do you have a favorite?
LEO WOODALL: Ohh, I mean, everyone saw The Mummy. I loved her in About a Boy with Hugh Grant and Nicholas Holt. I also remember there was a spin-off of Jason Bourne with Jeremy Renner that she was in, and I loved that movie. I watched it, like, eight times, so I was very excited to work with her, and she did not disappoint. She’s wonderful.
I find it so funny that you’re both British people doing American accents. I’ve interviewed actors who have said that it’s hard not to slip into their native accent when they’re around people who also have it. Was that the case for you on this project?
WOODALL: Yeah, we didn’t ever speak to each other in American accents. In fact, we really leaned into our Britishisms when the camera wasn’t rolling. We don’t actually live that far from each other, so we had quite a lot to talk about and reminisce over — London and England and missing pubs, even though we shot in Toronto, which had some lovely pubs. We’d really celebrate our Britishness on set.
Leo Woodall Reveals How He Formed His Mysterious Character in ‘Vladimir’
“For her, every single syllable matters.”
You do an amazing job with this character. He feels very real and authentic, but he’s also this enigma who’s very difficult to read. How do you balance creating a character who obviously has a life of his own, but is, in some ways, a fantasy that the main character is projecting onto?
WOODALL: Really good question. There were definitely moments where it was kind of my job as the actor to live in the space and go about my day. That’s what’s so funny about the show — she will interpret something so minute and turn it into something so important, and telling, and meaningful in her head. But then, when it came to the fantasy aspect, I had to lean into everything that she wants him to be.
I love that you mentioned that she reads into the littlest things. I feel like so much of the humor comes from that. The little jazz hands emoji, for example, and the debate about what that means had me laughing so much.
WOODALL: I swear, everybody has been through that moment where you read a text and you think, “What is this emoji? What are they telling me?” It’s so human and relatable.
In your mind, what was he trying to tell her with that?
WOODALL: I don’t know, actually. Even I don’t know. Sometimes, you just want to do something fun, and it doesn’t really have a meaning. The stakes are so much lower for him, but for her, every single syllable matters.
The show is very silly and wacky, but there are definitely some steamy scenes as well. Intimacy coordinators are a huge topic of conversation right now. Did you work with one on this show, and what was it like filming those fantasy moments?
WOODALL: Yeah, we did work with one, and she was great. I think we were all kind of on the same page in that Rachel and I felt very, very comfortable with each other very quickly, so luckily, we didn’t need someone to facilitate us too much in playing those scenes. Particularly towards the end of the series, with the spontaneity, passion, and instincts, we were both on the same page about how we wanted them to be really at play and not choreograph or pre-plan too much. We were both very open to each other and thoughtful about the other person’s feelings. It worked out well, and we aligned.
The show is really rooted in the protagonist’s perspective and the female gaze. I’m curious if you feel like the protagonist is objectifying Vladimir.
WOODALL: There’s no doubt that she fancies the pants off him. Whether that means she objectifies them, I don’t really know. I think what the show does quite well is that her fantasies about him and her infatuation with him come from quite a real and understandable place. It starts to spiral out of control, and she knows in her mind that she’s going a bit mad, but this woman feels like this man can do no wrong. It’s only towards the end that she starts to get a little frustrated with the lack of give from him, or she starts to get a bit sick of not having any answers. I don’t know how much she objectifies him — I think she just really fancies him.
Leo Woodall Breaks Down ‘Vladimir’s Wild Ending
“I feel like he finally showed his cards.”
When this show opened with your character chained to a chair, I knew I was in it for a wild ride, and then in that scene — when we see it in context with him drugged and stumbling around — it was somehow even crazier. What was it like shooting that sequence?
WOODALL: We shot that in two different parts. In Episode 1, she’s giving a monologue to the camera, and I’m in the background. That day was very early on in the shoot, and I just remember I really, really, really wanted to sneeze. I knew I was on camera as she was delivering this long monologue, and I was desperately trying to hold in the sneeze. It was very dusty in this cabin, and I knew it would ruin the take if this mysterious, unconscious man, chained to the chair in a slightly erotic way, suddenly sneezes. We had a real laugh about it. I think the chair could have been more comfortable, but they were very good about giving me breaks and making sure that when we weren’t rolling, I had at least one arm free.
That ending is crazy. The protagonist tells us that both John and Vladimir escaped the fire, but she’s also been known to not be the most truthful with the audience. Do you think that he actually makes it out?
WOODALL: I don’t know. I kind of love the idea that she takes some ownership in letting these two men perish. I mean, she wouldn’t be taking ownership of it because she’s lying and saying that they made it out, but I feel like she also knows that the audience knows that she lies sometimes. She tells some fibs. I think it’s really funny, the idea that they actually do perish — these two men who have caused so much anxiety and stress to this woman’s life. But I also think she’s a good woman, and she’s not about to let two people die, so that’s kind of where the ambiguity lies, which I think is fun.
If he were to make it out, what do you think his relationship with the protagonist and Cynthia looks like going forward?
WOODALL: Not great. I don’t think his life looks easy breezy. He has to come clean to his wife and explain himself as best he can, but it probably won’t be good enough, understandably. In terms of Rachel’s character, I don’t know, man. I feel like he finally showed his cards, and he showed how he feels about her, so I wouldn’t be that surprised if he goes a bit more on the offensive and causes trouble. It looks like she and John are maybe about to patch things up in their marriage and live a bit more harmoniously, so I wouldn’t be that surprised if Vladimir wants to fuck that all up.
Leo Woodall Discusses Whether He’d Return to ‘The White Lotus’
“Jack was one of those sort of career-changing roles for me.”
I also really loved you on The White Lotus. I know Mike White tends to bring back an old character or two every season. Would you like your character to make a return? And if so, what do you think he would be up to?
WOODALL: I loved playing that character. Jack was one of those sort of career-changing roles for me. He was so much fun, and I’m so grateful to Mike White for that. If Mike calls, I think I would seriously consider it. It’s a very fun role, and it’s such a wonderful show. I’ve no idea what he’d be up to, though. I’d like to think he’d be on some path of revenge against Greg.
You have another project coming up that I’m really excited about with the Anthony Bourdain biopic. I’m curious what you can say about that.
WOODALL: I’m curious about what I can say about that, too. It’s a really fun movie. Matt Johnson is one of those directors who’s so spontaneous and loves living on the edge, which is right for a movie like this about Bourdain. Dominic Sessa does a wonderful job. That was another character where I got to really throw all kinds of paint at the wall. It was a really fun character to play. I haven’t seen it or any rushes of it, so I’m intrigued myself.
Vladimir is now streaming on Netflix.
- Release Date
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March 5, 2026
- Network
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Netflix
- Writers
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Julia May Jonas