Before the U.S. adaptation of the teen comedy-drama series, “Skins” was a U.K. show that began airing in 2007. Like its American counterpart, the series focuses on a diverse group of teenagers dealing with a wide range of issues, including sexuality, substance abuse, bullying, and mental illness. The U.K. “Skins” ran for seven seasons in total and often courted controversy over the way it showcased sex scenes with young actors but is also seen as a watershed moment for serious teen shows.
Actor Jack O’Connell rued the fact that “Skins” did not have an intimacy coordinator to help manage sex scenes on the show, something that is common in movies and television shows nowadays. He told The Independent that he was not completely comfortable filming such scenes in “Skins” when he was still relatively inexperienced as an actor and was a young man without much support around him. Later in the interview, the actor said, “You feel very compromised and if you don’t feel that you’re protected in that environment, it can be very unnecessarily daunting.”
Other actors from the original British version of the show have also had issues with sex scenes in the series. Freya Mavor explained to The Sun that she found the experience terrifying, saying, “I was honestly petrified, just so scared. I had to go away and have a wee cry to myself, which sounds so sad.” Meanwhile, April Pearson confirmed that the scenes were scary and unpleasant, and said that the ordeal is something she still struggles with more than a decade later.
