Kaya Scodelario has revealed that sex scenes on the set of Skins were ‘improvised’ as she opened up about being a child actor before the MeToo movement.
The Brazilian-British actress, 32, was just 14 years old when she was cast as Effy Stonem in the E4 coming-of-age drama Skins – which followed the lives of a group of teenagers from Bristol and centred heavily around sex and drugs.
In the post #MeToo era, children, teenagers and adults alike receive the help of intimacy coordinators for sex scenes to ensure everyone is safe and comfortable.
But to be a child actor filming sex scenes in the early 2000s was a very different story, Kaya told The Sunday Times.
‘It was a different time,’ she explained, before adding: ‘It was all improvised.
‘It was, “OK, here’s a sexy scene: go!” – and that’s terrifying. That’s like saying, “Here’s a stunt scene: jump off this bridge!”‘
Kaya Scodelario has revealed to The Sunday Times that sex scenes on the set of Skins were ‘improvised’ as she opened up about being a child actor before the MeToo movement
The Brazilian-British actress, 32, was just 14 years old when she was cast as Effy Stonem in the E4 coming-of-age drama Skins – which followed the lives of a group of teenagers from Bristol and centred heavily around sex and drugs
And speaking out as a young person on a TV set then was very hard thing to do, Kaya said.
Thankfully the cast were all very close friends and the girls helped each other to vocalise when they didn’t feel comfortable filming intimate scenes, such as feeling too bloated or in pain from their period.
During a chat with The Weakest Link presenter Romesh Ranganathan recently, Kaya revealed she tried lying about her age as a then 14 year old by adding two years on after being spotted by the Skins producer.
In the end, she was surprised to learn that she was in fact the exact age of the role that was being cast at that time.
She explained: ‘It was at the National Youth Theatre on Holloway Road, our school had a fax about it, they were having open auditions.
‘I thought I’d go down to have to have a look. I was too young, you had to be 16 and I was 14.
‘But I knew it was what I wanted to do, I’d loved acting since I was a kind. But I had that thing of [thinking] it wasn’t for me, and it would happen for other people.
‘So I just wanted to go see what an audition looked like, and the creator saw me across the road. I had a Brazil shirt on because it was during the World Cup.
During a chat with The Weakest Link presenter Romesh Ranganathan recently, Kaya revealed she tried lying about her age as a then 14 year old by adding two years on after being spotted by the Skins producer (Seen in February 2024)
Her character had a relationship with James Cook, who was played by future Hollywood star Jack O’Connell (pictured)
‘I had big frizzy hair and I was smoking a cigarette, how old school is that? Don’t do that kids! And he came over and asked me to audition. I was like “Okay, cool”.
‘And then anyway, they cast someone else because they said I was too old and the part needed to be 14, so in a panic I called them and said “No, no I am 14! I was just lying”.’
It comes after Kaya admitted in December that she’s still being paid less than her male counterparts, despite establishing herself as one of Britain’s most prominent actors.
Since her breakout role of Effy, Kaya has starred in a string of successful blockbusters, among them Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile with Zac Efron and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, with Johnny Depp.
But despite her passion for the craft and love of gruelling set work, Kaya insists there remains a significant financial disparity between male and female earnings within the film industry – much to her dismay.
She told FAULT magazine: ‘I still really love my job, but my favourite part of it is spending 18 hours on set, breaking bones and destroying myself mentally for the sake of the character. That’s the bit I love.
To be a child actor filming sex scenes in the early 2000s was a very different story, Kaya told The Sunday Times (Seen as Effy)
It comes after Kaya admitted in December that she’s still being paid less than her male counterparts, despite establishing herself as one of Britain’s most prominent actors (Seen in May)
‘But also, it’s a career and a job, and there are parts of it that are still really hard for women.
‘I’m acutely aware that I’m probably still being paid less than any male co-star I work with. The stories I want to tell are harder to find – they just take more time.’
She added: ‘It’s challenging because I love it so much, but I’m in a beautiful position. I’m fortunate, and I’m aware I get to do a job I love.
‘I’m so fortunate to do something artistic that we enjoy, but there’s still a long way to go.’
