‘Skins’: Where are the teenage tearaways now?

It's been over a decade since E4 phenomenon 'Skins' hit our TV screens for the very first time

From house parties to reckless relationships to deathly plots, teen-drama Skins had it all. The E4 phenomenon placed itself at the heart of suburban teenage life, navigating sex, booze, drugs and mental health like nothing else of its time. Over a decade on from its 2007 launch, where are the actors and actresses that portrayed our favourite characters now? From A-listers and Oscar winners to complete unknowns, here’s what the beloved Bristolians are up to, these days…

1
Nicholas Hoult as Tony Stonem

Credit: Getty/Alamy

The lead in series one, Hoult’s character Tony was certainly difficult to love. But since then, the childhood About a Boy star has won over the general public through roles in X-Men: First Class, Kill Your Friends and Mad Max, as well as playing the titular role in Tolkien, a biographical drama about the writer’s life. Most recently he’s been starring as Emperor Peter III in comedy-drama television series The Great – a role which saw him nominated for a Golden Globe Award earlier this year.

2
Mike Bailey as Sid Jenkins

Credit: Getty / Alamy

Following a part as Tony’s hapless mate Sid in Skins, Bailey acted sparingly, the last notable project being 2013 film We Are The Freaks, a bleak comedy set in post-Thatcher Birmingham. Last year it was revealed that Bailey had left the industry all together, instead opting for a career in teaching. He opened up about his desire to change career paths in 2017, as explained to Radio Times. He said: “I kind of thought ‘what the f**k am I doing with my life?’ and ended up getting in a conversation with the wife a couple of years ago and decided that those who can’t act teach. 10 years ago I never thought I’d still be talking about it, but [Sid] still does pop up every now and again.”

3
Dev Patel as Anwar Kharral

Dev Patel at a Skins party in 2007 (L) and at the BAFTAs in 2017 (R). Credit: Getty

Leaving Skins after the second season, Patel was soon cast in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 where he won numerous awards and was nominated for a BAFTA. His role in 2017’s Lion earned an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and last year he appeared in the titular role in Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield. Upcoming projects include medieval fantasy The Green Knight alongside Alicia Vikander, and his directorial debut Monkey Man.

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4
Joe Dempsie as Chris Miles

Joe Dempsie in 2008 (L) and 2020 (R). Credit: Getty

Dempsie received wide praise for his portrayal of the hedonistic Chris Miles. He went on to appear in Doctor Who and This is England as well as Tom Hooper film The Damned United. He then landed the role of Gendry in Game of Thrones and made his long awaited return to the show in 2017. Next, he’s set to appear in new Netflix thriller Pieces of Her.

5
Hannah Murray as Cassie Ainsworth

Hannay Murray in 2007 (L) and in 2019 (R). Credit: Getty

Following her superb role as away-with-the-fairies Cassie, Murray is now best known for her portrayal of Gilly in Game of Thrones, and in 2017 had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed Detroit.

6
Daniel Kaluuya as Posh Kenneth

Daniel Kaluuya in 2009 (L) and at the Oscars in 2021 (R). Credit: Alamy / Getty

Daniel played Posh Kenneth in the first two seasons of Skins, where he was also a contributing writer. Since then he’s been nominated for an Oscar for his role in Get Out, starred in the brilliant Black Panther and appeared in heist thriller Widows. Most recently, he starred as Fred Hampton in biographical drama Judas and the Black Messiah. His performance was critically lauded, and resulted in Daniel winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and BAFTA for his role.

7
Kaya Scodelario as Effy Stonem

Kaya Scodelario at a Skins party in 2007 (L) and at the ‘Queen & Slim’ premiere in 2020 (R). Credit: Getty

A bit-part character in season one, Effy soon flourished in the second generation. Scodelario was subsequently cast in Maze Runner and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and has been cast in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a thriller about serial killer Ted Bundy. Her next role will be in survival horror flick Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, a reboot of the Resident Evil film series.

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8
Jack O’Connell as James Cook

Jack O’Connell at a Skins screening in 2010 (L) and at Venice Film Festival in 2019 (R) Credit: Getty

After his turn as the troublemaking Cook, O’Connell has been appearing on the big screen ever since, including for Harry Brown, Starred Up and 300: Rise of an Empire. In 2015, he won the BAFTA Rising Star award. O’Connell appeared along side Dame Judi Dench, Christoph Waltz and Cara Delevingne in the 2017 release of adapted novel Tulip Fever, and was also in Scott Frank’s miniseries Godless; and in 2019 starred alongside Kristen Stewart in political thriller Seberg.

9
Luke Pasqualino as Freddie McClair

Luke Pasqualino at Skins screening in 2010 (L) and in 2019 (R). Credit: Getty / Alamy

After his role as Freddie, Pasqualino was seen in television roles in Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome and The Musketeers. In 2017 he appeared alongside Rupert Grint and Ed Westwick in comedy crime-drama Snatch and most recently appeared in Netflix’s latest fantasy series Shadow and Bone.

10
Ollie Barbieri as JJ Jones

Ollie Barbieri at a preview screening of Skins season 4 (L) and in 2017 film ‘Blood Money’ (R). Credit: Getty/Alamy

Likeable, off-kilter magician JJ Jones was a key part of ‘The Three Musketeers’ friendship group, but this prominent role didn’t lead to many high-profile acting gigs. His biggest was in 2011 comedy film Anuvahood. However, he made his first appearance in film in six years for horror drama Blood Money in 2017.

11
Kathryn Prescott as Emily Fitch

Kathryn Prescott at a Skins screening in 2010 (L) and in 2019 (R). Credit: Getty

In only her second acting role, Prescott was cast as Emily Fitch in Skins’ second generation. Prescott has since continued acting, including roles in Reign and MTV’s teen drama Finding Carter. Recent projects include comedy drama Dude which was released in 2018, and a role in anthology television series Tell Me a Story.

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