Kaya Scodelario was "painfully shy and insecure" during her younger years

She told The Independent: "I was painfully shy and insecure. I was very unworldly and Effy was an opportunity for me to fake that confidence and have empathy for other people's experiences.

"But at the core of Effy was always pain and I think that core of her was always the real me. But the outside of her, how she presented herself - the clothes, the makeup, the confidence - that was the opposite of who I was."

Kaya also felt some pressure to live up to the Effy image.

She shared: "For me, it was a lot of people being like, 'Oh you're not as hot as Effy.' Because she was confident and had the makeup and clothes and I was this skinny little shy, raggedy-haired kid in a tracksuit. So I always found that a bit tricky."

Meanwhile, Kaya recently admitted to being surprised by the enduring popularity of Skins.

The actress told Stylist magazine: "That blows my mind. I can't believe people are still watching it 20 years later. It must feel so dated; we didn't have phones or social media - but maybe that's what people are relating to!

"I haven't watched it since then but the outfits must be a little bit cringe now..."

Kaya - who has two children with her ex-husband Benjamin Walker - also confessed that financial security for her family is now one of her top priorities.

She said: "I've always had that work ethic of making sure that I'm safe so that I can make my family safe and make my kids safe.

"To be successful creatively is difficult in an industry where we're not in charge of what projects we do and still need to pay the mortgage so I feel very grateful that in the last few years all the work I've put in means I can find success in little moments."