Skins star unrecognisable as he reunites with cast 12 years after show ended

Metro

20 hours ago

Former Skins star Ollie Barbieri has shed the thick curls he was once known for – and is looking unrecognisable 12 years after the show ended.
Ollie, 33, played Jonah Jeremiah Jones – aka JJ – in series 3 and 4 of the raucous teenage drama.
During his run on the show, the character found himself in a love triangle between Effy (Kaya Scodelario), Cook (Jack O'Connell) and Freddie (Luke Pasqualino).
In the end, JJ settled down with girlfriend Lara (Georgia Henshaw) and her baby from a previous relationship.
JJ bowed out in 2010, while the show lasted three more series before coming to an end with series 7 in 2013.
Ollie joined Kaya and other members of the cast as they reunited for the birthday of twins Kathryn and Megan Prescott, who played Katie and Emily Fitch. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKnBZaGNc7X/?hl=en
Posting a series of snaps from their birthday, actress and OnlyFans model Megan shared an image of herself and sister Kathryn as they posed with co-stars Klariza Clayton, Kaya and Ollie.
'Happy birthday Meg & Kat… the last time we were together we were all a lil bit younger, little bit dumber & hadn't had the pleasure of waking up with sore knees… love you all xx Y2K 4 EVA,' wrote Kaya as she also shared the image to her Instagram account.
'This is such a nice photo but I must implore you to edit the caption kaya 🤣 (or have I just been on O.F. so long that I read the sore knees thing as something entirely different…🤦‍♀️😂) xx' joked Megan in the comments below. https://www.instagram.com/p/C86hOBsip_w/?hl=en&img_index=1
Boasting a tight haircut, designer stubble and fashionable spectacles, the all-grown-up Ollie looked a world away from shy, nerdy JJ.
Followers were shocked to see Ollie's new look, with AkonKitty commenting: 'Happy Birthday and happy to see Skins family!!! Is that JJ on the left?'
'In the end JJ won,' joked j0estrodamus.
Meanwhile, others were cheered to see the cast reunite after all these years.
'This heals my inner teenage self seeing you all grown together 😭❤️' said conniekaraitiana.
'the fact you guys are still friends all of these years later 🥺🥹' said hotbriochedameron.
'Happy birthday to you both :) so awesome to see so many of you still in contact ❤️' commented dan_runner_7.
'Aww, a little skins reunion for a special day. 🥺 I cannot word how much I adore those friendships <3' said proud.scodder. https://www.instagram.com/p/7SzW4PkU_O/?hl=en
Following Skins, Ollie went on to appear in the urban drama spoof Anuvahood, where he played a character named Enrique.
In 2017, he reunited with fellow Skins alumnus Klariza – who played Freddie's sister, Karen.
Starring in the thriller Blood Money, Ollie and Klariza marked their reunion by posing for a selfie together as they shared transport on the way to set.
'Reunited with @klarizaclayton Yeah we're getting a ferry to set,' he wrote in the accompanying caption.
These days, the actor lives in London with his girlfriend, journalist and Huffpost editor Dayna McAlpone.
Other members of the cast have gone on to achieve varying levels of success since graduating from Skins.
Along with 33-year-old Kaya, breakout stars Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Daniel Kaluuya have all gone on to become giants in the world of Hollywood.
Last year, Kaya revealed how she 'pushed back' against sex scenes in the spin-off series Skins: Fire.
'I felt much more confident in saying what I felt during that series,' she told The Guardian. More Trending
'When the first draft came through, there were a lot of sex scenes in it, and I could tell it was because I turned 18, and that meant that they could show more. And I went back and said: 'No, there's no need to do that'.'
Reflecting on her time in Skins, she said: 'Nothing too awful ever happened [on the set of Skins], thank God, but it could have, and I think that's what's scary about it. What's wonderful now is that every production is aware that a sex scene is essentially a stunt, and it should be choreographed.
'[We] were so grateful and happy to be there that we did as we were told most of the time. But this was a show that was created by older grown-ups, and it would have been cool to have more conversations as actors about what we were doing.
She continued: '[We] were treated like teenagers that were there to make a teenage show. It was nice that we felt free and didn't understand the politics of the business – we weren't worrying about whose face was going to be on the poster or who was earning more than who. But at the same time, it's important to treat actors like actors.'
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