Everything Kaya Scodelario has been up to since she defined a generation as Effy in Skins

It’s been over 17 years now since Skins first aired and Effy Stonem became the blueprint for literally any wannabe edgy girl back in the 20o0s. That sweaty and grimy show defined a generation and we truly ATE IT UP. And if you’ve just started watching Guy Ritchie’s new Netflix show The Gentleman, you’ve probably noticed that the edgy queen herself is one of the main characters. And seeing Kaya Scodelario in this, probably made you feel really old, didn’t it? One person on Twitter/X said: “Just realised that Suzie Glass from The Gentlemen is played by the same actress that played Effy in the original UK Skins, and I feel old for the 700th time this year.”

Kaya plays Susie Glass, a slightly dodgy businesswoman who runs an underground cannabis empire and brings Theo James’ character, Eddie Halstead into the world of crime. But in between starring in the new Netflix show and changing the brain chemistry of a whole generation of teenagers, what has Kaya Scodelario, AKA Effy from Skins been up to since?

Getting married (and then divorced)

For a while during filming Skins, Kaya dated her co-star Jack O’Connell (Cook) but the two broke up in 2009. She then dated Shameless star Elliott Tittensor from late 2009 to early 2014. But in 2014, she met Benjamin Walker whilst filming The King’s Daughter.

They got married in 2014 and stayed together 10 years until last month it was announced they had separated with their representatives releasing a statement on their behalf. It read: “Some time ago, Kaya and Ben made the joint decision to end their marriage but continue to co-parent lovingly whilst remaining the best of friends.

“They ask that their privacy as well as that of their children remain respected as they continue to move forward as a family.”

Having two kids

Speaking of children, Kaya had two kids with her ex-husband, a seven-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. They have decided to keep the names of their children private. Posting a picture after giving birth to her daughter, she said on Instagram: “You made it here little one ✨ Starting the new year with so much love in our hearts & in our home 💕. Plus poop and puke, lots of that too.”

As well as keeping their names private, she also scarcely shows her children on social media with only a few pictures of them from behind.

Reminiscing about Skins

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A post shared by Kaya Scodelario (@kayascods)

In 2022, our very own Effy reminisced about the show’s 15th anniversary with a post on Instagram. She said: “15 years later I’m grateful for the memories of this time, the best friends I made & am lucky enough to still have in my life & a show that seems to still resonate with many. It wasn’t perfect. Far from it. But f**k it was fun.”

She also recently spoke about her experience on skins in an interview with NME. She said: “Being a teenager on a very popular UK show wasn’t always a good thing. Especially as a woman. We didn’t have the same protections and weren’t looked after in the same way a lot of people in the public eye are. But in America, nobody cared. You spend a week in New York and nobody gives a shit.”

Starring in The Maze Runner

Straight after Skins, Kaya made her film debut with movies such as Moon, Shank and Twenty8k. But one of Kaya’s biggest roles after Skins was as Teresa in The Maze Runner trilogy adaptation in 2014. She starred alongside Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Will Poulter to play the main female character Teresa.

Reuniting with the Skins cast every Christmas

In a fact that has made my nostalgic heart so very happy, Kaya recently revealed that the Skins cast reunites every single Christmas for a celebration. She said: “Skins Christmas is more special to me than actual Christmas because we’re chosen family. We joke we’re either bonded by trauma or bonded by success.” Crying right now.

Starring in Pirates of The Caribbean

In 2017, Kaya starred as the female lead in the Pirates of The Caribbean sequel, Dead Man Tell No Tales. She played Carina Smyth an “altruistic astronomer” who is wrongly accused of being a witch. In an interview about the role she said she worked with the director to make sure she was not a carbon copy of Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann. She said that female characters often “fall into two camps; they are either pretty and perfectly put together or completely insane. Carina has definitely got a little bit of both.”

Going on boujee holidays

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A bit of a child star, Kaya is estimated to have a net worth of over £1 million and therefore her Insta is full of boujee holiday snaps in the most beautiful places. Last month she posted pictures in The Maldives and before that, she posted pics of her and her family exploring New Zealand “from Volcanic beaches to Geysers.”

More Netflix shows and Ted Bundy drama

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In 2019, Kaya played Ted Bundy’s wife, Carole Ann Boone in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the controversial true crime drama starring Zac Efron. Then in 2020, she took on a lead role in the Netflix ice skating drama Spinning Out. She played a competitive ice skater who battled with bipolar disorder. She had to learn to ice skate for the role.

Getting a dog

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As well as two kids, Kaya also has a dog, a French bulldog called Arnie. He’s now over 10 years old, first posting a pic of him as a puppy in 2013. In 2020, she posted a picture of him with a few grey hairs captioned: “He’s going grey in lockdown…” Mood.

For more like this Kaya Scodelario, Effy The Gentlemen profile and for all the best memes and quizzes, like Pop Culture Shrine on Facebook.  

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