Skins Interview

Updated / Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 10:30

Wilson - "Didn't quite believe" that Skins would happen

Since it's debut on E4, 'Skins' has turned into a cult phenomenon with young viewers. Online communities have grown up around the show, its stars are receiving screaming adulation on the streets and its storylines are getting meatier by the week. 'Skins' stars Mike Bailey (Sid), Larissa Wilson (Jal) and Daniel Kaluuya (Posh Kenneth) talk about what they've gotten themselves into.

Linda McGee: What was your acting background before this and how did the opportunity to audition for 'Skins' come about?
Larissa: Well, actually 'Skins' was my first acting role. It was an open audition and I heard about it at school. I did Drama A-Level, Performing Arts, and then I went to an open audition in Bristol and then I did three auditions I think before I found out that I had the role.

LM: And did you know much about the role at that stage?
Larissa: Well, I knew it was something for E4 for but I didn't quite believe it would happen. I thought they were just advertising and it probably will never happen. Yeah, so it was a bit of a shock.

LM: And how did you guys hear about the roles?
Daniel: I did loads of drama classes around the area in London and theatre and stuff. And then I heard about it. It was in the paper and my sister told me and so did friends, so I just went on down.
Mike: I was in college doing Performing Arts and basically the casting director came in to college. None of us knew anything about it and she auditioned us all for it. She only got an hour with us and she came back the day after, and also I was at ITV workshops back then as well and she rang me up and said: "do you want to come along to this workshop for a programme called 'Skins'?". She recognised my voice and said: "The producers really liked you from the other auditions so come along for some recalls." So I had six auditions for it altogether.

LM: Initially when you were offered your roles and began reading scripts did you have any idea of how big of a cult show it was going to become?
Larissa: To be honest, I didn't realise how big it was until after we'd finished, when we were doing promotional stuff and I saw the posters and adverts. That's when it kicked in for me.
Mike: It was kind of weird though because even when they did the last audition they had everyone in together... even then there was rumours about who was going to be in it, like we found out that Harry Enfield was going to be in it. And there was going to be all the celebrity parents so that was pretty cool. But it still hasn't sunk in.
Daniel: It was the adverts I think. We did the adverts and suddenly they were just everywhere.

LM: After that it grew very quickly with online communities, forums and blogs. Was that something that you all envisaged from the start? Did producers want to make it a very interactive experience for the viewers?
Mike: They wanted to use the Internet quite a lot because everyone's on MySpace and Bebo. They were previewing the episodes before they even came out on MySpace so it was a big Internet thing. Like, the first time I got recognised was actually two weeks before the show even started. Somebody said to me: "Aw, you play Sid in 'Skins'," and I was like: "How do you know that?". And it was just the Internet stuff, because I was in the adverts for like less than a second.
Larissa: I was the one who was in the adverts for like a quarter of a second... literally. People didn't know who I was.
Mike: I was throwing up in a toilet... It's a story for the grandkids, definitely.

LM:

And now, how often do you get recognised just walking down the street or in the supermarket?
Larissa: We've just had that. Yeah, we got mobbed.
Mike: About 25 kids have just come up to us, which is really nice actually. And we were coming here as well and we had the nicest taxi driver and we were chatting to him and he looked at us for a minute and then said: "You guys are in 'Skins', aren't you?". And he said: "I love that show", and I mean he must have been like... over 30 or something!
Larissa: Like way over 30!
(Everyone erupts laughing.)
Mike: I wanted to be nice to Tony! But he was older than that. People say that target audience is like 17 or 18 but still there's people a lot older that watch it as well.

LM: A lot of the storylines are based around a younger age group and deal with issues that people face at that stage of their lives, but the show does try to cover different social issues. Do you think that's important?
Larissa: Yeah. It kind of frustrates me sometimes when people say: "That's for kids, I'm not watching it". Some of the parents I've met say: "No, it's too young for me. It's for kids". But it's not kids' subjects, it's the fact that we're teenagers and we're discovering ourselves. And a lot of the issues are issues that you would also deal with later on in life, and it just so happens that we're going through them now.
Daniel: When they criticise the show they say it's all about sex, drugs and parties. It's really not. There's really much more to it than that.
Larissa: And it's obviously someone who hasn't watched the show who would say that.
Mike: In series one, I think there was a party per episode. Whereas in series two there have only been a few parties. They're getting to the nitty-gritty in series two.

LM: How much preparation work do you have to do for the big storylines that tackle difficult social issues? Do producers usually talk to you beforehand about researching the issues?
Larissa: I think we're at the point now where we're old enough to know what we have to do. At the start of the series we all sit down and they discuss your storylines with you and really it's down to you to do it. I mean they will guide you and say what kind of performance they want or what they expect and you've got to just take that and do the research yourself. We're all really good at doing that anyway.

Mike: We've got a really good crew that works on it, the producers and everyone that works on it. I had to do a scene where I break down in a club after my dad has died and basically it was a hot day, we were in this little dingy club and there were so many extras in there - and I was just talking to all the different people in the crew because I had never had someone very close to me who has died and they were all telling me the different ways that they dealt with it. Some people keep it locked in and some people don't know what to do.
(A mobile phone text message alert goes off at the other side of the room. By coincidence it's the E4 jingle. Everyone takes a breather from the serious subject to look and laugh).
Mike: That's the perfect thing to come on there... Anyway, talking to different people helps because everyone has a different way of dealing with it.

LM: As a group, do all the cast members get on quite well on the show and off-set? Do you hang out together outside of the show?
(There's a brief moment of deafening silence before...)
Mike: Not really.
(Everyone roars laughing)
Mike: No, well all get on. There's been little things but we do all get on really well.

LM: You've had some pretty exciting guest stars - did you have fun with the likes of Shane Richie and Harry Enfield?
Larissa: Harry Enfield's lovely.
Daniel: And Shane Richie said a funny joke... I actually can't remember the joke but it was funny. He seemed really cool.

LM: Do you find it daunting at all, working with people that you've been watching on screen for years?
Mike: Everyone had the same thing with Harry Enfield. You're walking around the offices and he walks out a door and you're like: "It's Harry Enfield" (makes a shocked face). That's a bit surreal. I think everyone seems to get on with the people who play their parents the most because they're the people you spend the most time with. That's who I get on with most.

LM: With regard to the writing of the show, I know you're involved Daniel, how did that come about? Were the producers keen to get you all more involved?

Daniel: Basically for series one they just went around youth theatres around the country and got loads of people in as contributors. And a few of us stayed on to contribute full-time and we go to the weekly meeting and just give our opinions on the scripts. Most of the unseen material on the website and all the extra material is written by young people. It's like a school for script-writing.

LM: And would you consider pursuing that as a full-time career afterwards? Are you more interested in the script-writing side of things or the acting?
Daniel: Yeah, definitely I want to get into it more. I want to do both. (There is much laughing from the couch as Daniel is accused of being greedy for wanting it all.)
Daniel: Mike Bailey really wants to be a writer.

LM: When you're give a certain amount of control over the fate of the characters, are you tempted to mix things up a bit if you don't like what's happening with a particular character?
Daniel: Yeah, I wrote the Jal one. Because of the circumstances she was in, I did want to give her more to do in a way, more meat. I wanted to be more honest and true to the situation of the character.

LM: Is there ever a case where, because you get so attached to your characters, you read a script and think: "I don't think my character would do this"?

Mike: Everyone knows how we are. All the writers and the cast get on really well, except for some of us (makes a face at Daniel before laughing)... No, we all get on really, really well, so they know us. And obviously we do a read-through before we start filming. I don't think I would ever turn around to them and say: "I don't know if I can say this" because after the read-through they might change lines and stuff.
Larissa: It's never a case where you see something you character does and you feel "oh that complete scene, I wouldn't do it". If it's anything it's just the occasional word where you'd say: "Oh I think my character would say this instead of that"...
Mike: And then you just change it on set.
(Everyone bursts out laughing again.)
Larissa: And then the line-man comes up to you and goes: "That's not what it says".
Daniel: But the writers are really cool about that.
Mike: And they talk to us as well, depending on who has wrote the episode, some days they will come talk to you. Ben Schiffer, who wrote Chris' episode, would have chatted to the actor Joe, who plays Chris a lot.
Daniel: Except for Larissa.
Larissa: I don't talk to anyone! I do it on my own. (Cue much laughing again)
Mike: I still love the story about your mum. When he was writing this episode, he was writing a line and left it with a P at the end of it and left the room. And when he came back in his mum had finished off writing the sentence as Posh Kenneth, saying: "You gotta get more work for your character".
Daniel: She was like: "Put your character in. Talk to Jal, you know, he just talks to her." That's exactly what she said.

(Daniel's phone rings. He asks very politely if he may answer it. Cue much heckling and diva-name-calling from the other two as they roar laughing at him.)

LM: So your lives have obviously changed immensely as a result of 'Skins', what's been the coolest thing that you've got to do through your involvement with the show? Any big celebrity parties?

Larissa: I've got invited to some quite cool fashion parties in London and I got to wear some really nice dresses to them as well. So that was pretty cool.
Mike: I got this watch. (Proudly displays his trendy watch). I don't get as much stuff as the girls. But I have been to the NME Awards.
Larissa: T4 on the Beach was wicked.
Mike: And last year we went to awards where there was a massive bunch of young kids...
Larissa: Did I go?
Mike: Yeah, Sean Bean was there. That was a good laugh.
Larissa: Oh yeah I remember that.

(It was tempting to say: "Remember, you were wearing your blue jumper?", but then you realise that they're probably too young to remember 'Father Ted' first time round and that, like Tony the taxi-driver, you are one of the those older people who watches their show despite being miles outside the demographic).

Watch the 'Skins' stars' recent interview on 'The Café' here.

The season finale of 'Skins' will be aired on Monday 14 April at 10pm on E4. To visit the show's official website click here.

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