Jack O'Connell says filming sex scenes on Skins was 'compromising'

14 December 2022, 16:40

Skins' April Pearson says she felt "uncomfortable" during Michelle's nude scenes

By Katie Louise Smith

Jack is the latest former Skins actor to address the way the show handled sex scenes with its young cast members.

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Actor Jack O'Connell has opened up about his experience filming nude sex scenes during his years on Skins.

Jack, who is currently starring in Netflix's Lady Chatterly's Lover with Emma Corrin, is no stranger to appearing nude on screen and stage. But while the majority of TV shows and films now use intimacy coordinators to help actors with sex scenes and make sure they're comfortable when filming them, that didn't exist when Skins was on air.

At the age of 17, Jack landed the role of Cook in the British teen drama. Throughout his time on the show, he had a number of sex scenes with Kaya Scodelario's Effy Stonem.

In a new interview with the Independent, Jack has now explained how his recent experiences working on Lady Chatterly's Lover made him reflect on the way Skins approached those scenes back in the day.

Jack O'Connell opens up about his sex scenes in Skins. Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage, E4

While discussing the use of an intimacy coordinator on the set of the film to help with all the explicit nude sex scenes between him and Emma Corrin, Jack spoke about how his career and previous experiences predate the "intimacy coordinator age".

"It’s hard to say that you’re ever totally comfortable [filming sex scenes]," he said. "Listen, I admit I was very naive at the time, enough so as to not check in with myself and question myself if I was feeling comfortable or not. It just felt like part and parcel of the programme in a very different time than the one we’re in now."

Explaining how things have now changed for the better, he added: "I think what’s important is that them discussions are being had to make sure that whatever was happening [on Skins] that wasn’t right, it seems, is addressed and doesn’t repeat itself."

"You feel very compromised and if you don’t feel that you’re protected in that environment, it can be very unnecessarily daunting."

Jack O'Connell starred as Cook in Skins season 3 and 4. Picture: E4

Sadly, Jack is also not the only former Skins cast member to speak about the uncomfortable nature of filming the nude scenes and sex scenes on the series.

April Pearson, who played Michelle Richardson on the show, previously opened up about her experience in a TikTok video. Addressing a question from a fan who asked if the actors ever had to get naked on Skins and whether or not it was uncomfortable, she said: "Yes and yes. It was very weird…and not all the time pleasant. Still dealing with it."

Freya Mavor, who played Mini McGuinness, also shared that she cried after filming her first sex scene on the show. She told The Sun: "I was honestly petrified, just so scared. I had to go away and have a wee cry to myself, which sounds so sad. I was just so nervous because I had no idea there would be so many people around during scenes like that."

Addressing his scenes in an interview with GQ Hype, Nicholas Hoult (who was 17 when he played Tony Stonem on the show) explained what those scenes were like to film as a teenager with no guidance.

"Not that they were bad experiences or anything," he said. "It comes much more from, ‘Just get this done as quickly as possible so I can be comfortable again and carry on with the part of acting I like.’ A lot of acting is pretty terrifying."