Freya Mavor - Interview - About sex scenes

SKINS actress Freya Mavor was reduced to tears before filming her first sex scene for the controversial teen drama.

The 17-year-old schoolgirl is the first Scot to land a lead role in the award-winning Channel 4 show.

Freya, from Edinburgh, will star as hell-raising Mini McGuinness in the fifth season that returns on E4 later this month.

Viewers will see the pretty teen enjoying several steamy trysts with Sean Teale, 18, who plays Mini's boyfriend Nick Levan.

In her first ever newspaper interview, Freya revealed she wept about stripping off for the cameras.

She said: "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.

"But I know now everyone's concentrating on their job and nobody's judging. Everyone's just having a laugh."

Hunky co-star Sean recently admitted his parents would never watch him naked on the box.

But Freya's mum Judith, 52, and dad James, 49, have insisted they watch their daughter's raunchy scenes.

Freya - who has a boyfriend - said: "They're insanely liberal and supportive about the whole thing.

"They couldn't care less.

"I just cannot think about my parents watching me.

"They're like 'deal with it, we've seen sex scenes before, you know'.

"I'm worried about when the time comes. It'll be hard but it's a job."

Freya had planned to study philosophy before her big break.

She's currently in her final year at Edinburgh's posh Mary Erskine School and reckons staff at the all-girls private school won't be happy she is in a show obsessed with sex and drugs.

The blonde beauty added: "They're happy that I'm managing to start a career in what I want to do.

"But with the material in the show, they can't promote it.

"They're all 'well done, well done', but they're probably seething inside that I'm doing something so inappropriate.

"It's not great publicity for them."

Freya beat 8,000 hopefuls to the part at open auditions in Bristol after overhearing a conversation about them on a bus.

She said: "I was very bad and didn't really tell school about it all.

"I had a lot of auditions so I ended up taking tons of time off, but I think it was worth it - I'm happy.

She added: "Everything's insane at the moment. I'm trying to combine work with doing essays on organ donations.

"I'm desperately trying to stay on top of it, but I'm finding it difficult."

Freya was born in Glasgow but grew up in the capital's Canonmills area after moving there as a tot with her parents and brother Alex, now 19.

She first became interested in acting after watching Jack Nicholson horror flick The Shining when she was ten years old.

And Freya - who counts Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton among her idols - was a Skins fanatic before joining the cast.

She said: "I've been watching the show religiously since the beginning.

"It used to be a ritual for me and my brother to watch it. He's happier about me being in it than I am."

But Freya is worried Skins fans could end up hating her troubled character Mini.

She said: "People will despise her at times - she does some pretty harsh things.

"She doesn't have much control over her life and she gets involved in a few fights.

"That's what makes her interesting, though."

"Personality-wise, we're nothing like each other.

"But in terms of experiences of attitude, doing inappropriate things and behaving badly, then definitely.

"I think it's all part of growing up."

Gregory's Girl legend Clare Grogan plays Freya's party-loving mum.

Freya revealed: "Clare was awesome. I had about two days working with her. One of the days was more upsetting because we had some emotional scenes.

"She took me back to the hotel and had a drink with me after work."

Clare loved working on the show. She said: "Freya's got a massive future ahead of her. I felt like I couldn't teach her anything."

The former 80s pop pin-up says landing the role has made her a popular aunt.

She revealed: "My nieces and nephews are thrilled. They can't believe I'm starring in something so edgy!

"There wasn't anything quite as upfront when I was growing up. The nearest thing to it was Crossroads."

The fifth season of Skins starts on January 27, on E4. The Skins cast promo tour will hit Edinburgh's The Caves on January 25. Freya and her co-stars will be joined by rising Scots dance star Kid Adrift. Details at e4.com/skins

Labels: Brand New , entrevistas , freya mavor , interview , Skins season 5