The BAFTA award winning teen drama sensation Skins took Britain by storm in 2007 with its controversial story lines and relatable and eccentric characters. The show’s success made it the perfect training ground for up-and-coming British teen actors to throw themselves into the spotlight. In Justin Edgar’s energetic new comedy WE ARE THE FREAKS we find two of Skins‘ most popular alumni take centre stage on the big screen. Parsons (Skins‘ Mike Bailey) and Chunks (Skins‘ Sean Teale) accompany Jack (Jamie Blackley) on an eventful weekend that might change their lives forever. As this stylish, coming 0f age, cult comedy takes us back to the rebellious era of the 1990s, we celebrate the release of WE ARE THE FREAKS by taking our own look back at some of our favourite Skins stars and find out what they’ve been up to since leaving the hit drama.
Mike Bailey – played Sid (seasons 1 & 2)
Mike Bailey’s Sid Jenkins became one of the stand out characters of Skins and his unlucky-in-love, shy character was a huge part in attracting audiences to Skins from the very beginning. Here’s hoping he can recreate some of that empathy as the confused and bizarre Parsons in WE ARE THE FREAKS.
Sean Teale – played Nick Levan (seasons 5 & 6)
Sean Teale found fame as part of the Third Generation of the teen drama. Teale described his character Nick as ‘balls deep in life’ which is not dissimilar to his eccentric oddball character Chunks. With Teale’s success continuing, having secured a recurring role as Franco in ITV’s hit drama Mr Selfridge, we hope to see much more from the young actor.
Dev Patel – played by Anwar Kharral (seasons 1 & 2)
Dev Patel’s Anwar became the nation’s most relatable and credited depiction of a British Asian teen on television at its time. The characterisation of Anwar was partly based on Patel’s personality and written specifically for the actor after being cast in the role. With such a strong and entertaining personality it’s no surprise that Patel’s first major role after Skins was the lead in Danny Boyle’s Academy Award winning SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. With multiple awards and a BAFTA nomination under his belt, Patel has starred in huge hits such as THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL and THE LAST AIRBENDER. Now living the Hollywood high life with his girlfriend and former co-star Frieda Pinto, Patel’s career has sky rocketed since Skins, with him next seen on our screens in 2015 in new film CHAPPIE alongside Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver.
Nicholas Hoult – played Tony Stonem (seasons 1 & 2)
Already a child star having featured alongside Hugh Grant in ABOUT A BOY, Skins saw Hoult mature into a teen heartthrob as leading ladies man Tony Stonem. Hoult springboarded off his success from Skins and has since gone on to star in box office smash X-MEN: FIRST CLASS as Beast, and will next be seen in the widely anticipated MAD MAX remake.
Luke Pasqualino – played Freddie McClair (seasons 3 & 4)
Luke’s portrayal of the sensitive and level-headed Freddie McClair made him a popular character for seasons 3 and 4. Since leaving the show Pasqualino’s fame and talent helped him land a string of roles on British television before securing himself a lead role in the popular BBC series The Musketeers.
Joe Dempsie – played Chris Miles (seasons 1 & 2)
Dempsie’s Chris from Skins‘ First Generation proved to have many layers to his personality and having become one of the most memorable characters, we learnt Dempsie’s acting skills are just as multi-faceted as they had been in the show. After Skins and roles in THIS IS ENGLAND and BAFTA award winning BBC drama The Fades, Dempsie landed a recurring role on the hugely popular and world wide cult phenomenon Game Of Thrones. His depiction of the street smart Gendry on the show has proved as popular as Chris, and as of Season 3 Gendry became a major character in the show.
Hannah Murray – played Cassie Ainsworth (seasons 1 & 2)
First seen on our screens as the lovably eccentric and troubled Cassie in Skins season 1 in 2007, Murray’s Cassie was brought back to finish the final season in 2013 with a two hour special insight into the character’s life since she left the gang. Now Murray joins her fellow Skins’ alumni in the fantasy world of Game Of Thrones as Gilly.
WE ARE THE FREAKS is in cinemas from Friday 25th April and out on DVD from 5th May 2014.
