A whole dang decade ago, in the heady days of 2007, a TV show unlike any other hit our screens. Edgy, subversive teen drama Skins was an instant hit with a generation crying out for something a bit more relatable than Home and Away and it was in that first season we met mysterious, mute Effy, portrayed by the impressively talented Kaya Scodelario.
Jump ten years ahead to 2017 and Kaya continues to be #goals, wrapping up her run as Teresa in the action-packed franchise The Maze Runner. To celebrate ten years of Kaya crushing it on our screens, we’re looking at what exactly makes her such a supreme girl crush.
Effy in Skins was our teen obsession
Let’s start where it all began for Kaya (and thus our endless crush) with her debut as Effy Stonem in Skins. At the age of 14 and with no prior acting experience Kaya stepped into the role of bratty, irascible Effy like she was born to, ultimately moving up to a starring role in the second generation.
Whilst often more an example of what NOT to do in your teens, Effy’s ups and downs were nonetheless super relatable and her self-confidence and refusal to take anyone’s shit was legit inspiring.
She speaks two languages like a boss
It is inarguable that bilingual people are cool AF. There’s something about the ability to swap between English and a sexy foreign language that is supremely jealousy inducing.
Courtesy of her mother who moved to England from Brazil a couple of years before she was born, Kaya was brought up speaking both English and Portuguese, which makes interviews with Brazilian media like the one below, a lot easier than it is for other Hollywood stars:
She’s already a full blown action movie star
With three Maze Runner films under her belt, you bet your bums that she’s made a name for herself as an action actress thanks to the book adaptation trilogy. The third and final instalment, Maze Runner: The Death Cure comes out this January 18th, so be sure to see her wrap up her character Teresa in style.
Her fash is ALWAYS on point
Dorky 14-year-old no more, Kaya has been a mainstay of the fashion world for years now, most recently hitting the red carpets of the Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week and the Gianni Versace Archive launch in LA.
With a fluid style that shifts with the trends, Kaya has previously worked with Burberry, noting how she loves her home country’s signature looks, but isn’t beholden to it:
“I love that classic Burberry look – those tailored trench coats and all that Britishness. But then, me being how I am, I might wake up and want to do a punk rock campaign.”
She fell in love with (and married) her buff co-star
They say to never shit where you eat (which is a naff way of saying don’t date your colleagues) but Kaya obvs didn’t listen to that one because she fell head over heels in love with her The King’s Daughter co-star Benjamin Walker in 2014.
The pair got married a year later and, if her Instagram is anything to go by, the couple are still madly in love. He ain’t bad on the eyes either tbh.
She’s an awesome Mum
Kaya and Benjamin are also the proud parents of a wee bebe boy, and unlike a lot of celebrities they’ve chosen to go down a more private path regarding sharing him with the world.
We’ve only seen the lil’ fella in a couple of Instagram photos, with the couple not even sharing his name, keeping their bundle of joy out of the spotlight so that he can have as normal a life as possible, even with two acting star parents.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPI0sXLg9sy/?hl=en&taken-by=kayascods
She’s a Disney Princess (sort of)
Besides the epic Maze Runner franchise, Kaya has also recently entered another huge movie series, starring in the most recent Pirates of the Carribbean movie.
Now stay with us on this one, the Pirates movies are owned by Disney, thus making Kaya PRETTY MUCH a legit Disney Princess.
Just… go with us on this one ok?
If you’re keen to catch Kaya in the final Maze Runner flick, ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’, we’re giving away 20 x double passes as well as a private screening. Just enter below.
WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE LONG-AWAITED FINAL INSTALLMENT OF MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE
If you miss out, you can always catch it in Aussie cinemas this Thursday, January 18. In the meanwhile you can head here for more info.
