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10 Stars You Didn’t Know Got Their Start On Skins

Here’s where you saw them before 'Get Out' and 'Game of Thrones'

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?

  1. Daniel Kaluuya, "Posh Kenneth"
    E4

    You know him as: Chris Washington in Get Out

    Though Posh sadly doesn't get as much screen time as the rest of the Generation 1 cast, actor Daniel Kaluuya made his mark behind the scenes. He wrote two episodes and rapped for the soundtrack.

  2. 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 fuckboy alpha male grows out of his bad boy ways at the end of Season 1, setting the tone for the rest of the series.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.