When Skins premiered back in 2007 on E4, it launched the careers of countless British teen actors. Today, you might recognize their faces from Oscar-winning movies and Emmy-nominated shows. But before they were big-time stars, they were high schoolers who made every second count in their hometown of Bristol, England.
Skins ran for six seasons total — plus one all-too-brief reboot in 2013 — and contained three generations of stubborn and lovable characters. Let's revisit these friendships, shall we?
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Daniel Kaluuya, "Posh Kenneth"
E4
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Nicholas Hoult, “Tony Stonem”
E4
You know him as: Hank McCoy in the X-Men series, Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road, R in Warm Bodies, Jennifer Lawrence’s ex-boyfriend
Skins’s OG
fuckboyalpha male grows out of his bad boy ways at the end of Season 1, setting the tone for the rest of the series. -
Hannah Murray, “Cassie Ainsworth”
E4
You know her as: Gilly on Game of Thrones
To use Cassie’s favorite word, she’s a “lovely” character who navigates a complicated relationship with Sid, Tony’s best mate, while battling an eating disorder.
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Joe Dempsie, “Chris Miles”
E4
You know him as: Gendry on Game of Thrones
I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen Skins yet, but it’s impossible to forget Chris once you meet him. His life motto, “fuck it,” is definitely one for the books.
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Dev Patel, “Anwar Kharral”
E4
You know him as: Saroo Brierley in Lion (He was nominated for an Oscar for this role!)
Anwar has so much going on, between his bromance with Maxxie, his sort-of girlfriend Sketch, and the expectations of his strict parents. His Muslim faith is ingrained in his identity, even though he doesn’t always follow the religion.
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Kaya Scodelario, “Effy Stonem”
E4
You know her as: Teresa in the Maze Runner series
Dear Effy is by far the series’s wild card. She gives zero fucks about anything and everything — until she falls in love circa Season 3.
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Kathryn Prescott, “Emily Fitch”
E4
You know her as: Carter Wilson on Finding Carter
Prescott and her real-life twin sister, Megan, play twins Emily and Katie in the series. Emily’s the quiet one — the “doormat,” as Katie puts it in Season 3. This changes by Season 4.
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Jessica Sula, “Grace Blood”
E4
You know her as: Maddie Graham on Recovery Road
Hands down, Grace is the sweetest, most loyal, and generous friend on the show. She has this uncanny ability to see the good in everyone.
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Sebastian de Souza, “Matty Levan”
E4
You know him as: Wes Stewart on Recovery Road
Matty the runaway is torn. He leaves home but can’t stay away for long. His brother Nick needs him, even though he doesn’t know it.
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Sean Teale, “Nick Levan”
E4
You know him as: Louis, Prince of Condé on Reign
Yeah, here’s yet another tumultuous relationship between siblings. Things get especially complicated when girls — OK, Frankie — get involved. Let this be a lesson learned: Shit goes down when you mess with your brother’s girl.