‘Skins’ Star Kaya Scodelario Explains the Major Difference Between U.K. and U.S. Productions

The big picture

Kaya Scodelario says that making UK TV shows was a very different experience from making American projects.
Scodelario avoided stereotypical high school roles to diversify his roles.
The transition to American projects freed Scodelario from UK class barriers in the roles.

The work you do as a young actor can influence your work and the way you approach it for the rest of your life, and Kaya Scodelariowidely recognized for her captivating role as Effy Stonem in the British series skins, certainly fits that bill. Scodelario recently spoke with Perri Nemiroff for Collider Ladies Night and, during the interview, Scodelario explained his experiences skinshis career decisions after the show and his thoughts on the acting industry.

skins, a British teen drama, is known for its raw, unfiltered portrayal of adolescence. The series follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, tackling issues such as mental illness, substance abuse and identity. Scodelario's character, Effy, is the enigmatic and troubled younger sister of Tony Stonem (Nicholas Hoult), who becomes a central figure in the second and third generation of the show. Reflecting on her breakout role as Effy, Scodelario acknowledged the unique environment of working on a hit British show and spoke with humorous admiration of how little British audiences care about how famous you are.

“I think there's a real privilege that comes from being on a hit show in the UK versus the US because we're not as glamorous in any way, shape or form. I think the Harry Potter actors have talked about that in past, that when you're in the UK, they don't treat you like a star. And even walking down the streets, they don't care. It's actually a negative beer can on the head.

Kaya Scodelario wanted to be more than just the love interest

Scodelario was determined to diversify her roles afterwards skinsconsciously avoiding stereotypical high school roles or being cast only as a love interest.

“I knew I was at an age where it would be very easy for people to want me to step into high school roles or play the girlfriend or the love interest, and
I've never been interested in just being the love interest. Always.
I don't know any woman I've ever met who is just one thing. I have never met a woman who is just a love interest or just the woman.
Every woman I know is complicated, nuanced, and beautiful
and everything that comes with that, so I've just been drawn to characters that were like that. This is my experience of women and the world.”

A significant part of her career path involved transitioning to American projects, which Scodelario found liberating due to the absence of class barriers often present in the UK, barriers that limited her to specific types of roles:

“In the UK, we still do [see class]. I was very much considered a working-class actor in the UK, so a lot of the roles that would come my way would be for the maid or the cockney geezer! Although I have run a bit of a circle playing Susie [in

The Gentlemen

, the series from
Guy Ritchie
]I very actively wanted to be in the room with all the other actors who had gone to drama schools or came from families with money and were already established in the industry.”

Despite her success, Scodelario remains humble and driven by the fear of everything “disappearing.” This mindset keeps her eager to learn and grow with each new project, ensuring that the industry continues to excite and challenge her.

“I don't think I'll ever have a moment where I sit there and say, 'OK, I made it,' and I like that. It's not here yet. [Laughs] I honestly never thought it could be a career, especially for someone from my background. I grew up very working class, had an immigrant father and a single parent family home. I didn't think that was a possibility in my world. I remember watching a documentary about child actors in the West End who were maybe eight years old, and I was 11 at the time, and I was like, 'Damn, it's too late! You see it? They're out there doing it.' [Laughs]

Then, I started working
skins
from a very young age, and I was very lucky in that it ended up being successful, and since then I have been able to build a career. I don't know if it's an immigrant parent mentality, but I still want to work all the time, and I'm still scared that it's going to disappear… I don't ever want to get to a point where I feel like I've made it.”

skins is available to stream now on Hulu. Watch Nemiroff's full conversation with Scodelario on Collider Ladies Night down