You may have spotted the star of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film and thought who is that girl? Well, here are five things to know about Brazilian-British actress, Kaya Scodelario.
The 25-years-old recently joined the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to play Carina Smith, alongside the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow played by the inimitable Johnny Depp as well as an all-star cast of Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Blum and Keira Knightley.
How did this mysterious actress land herself in one of the biggest movies of the Summer? Here the five things to know about Kaya Scodelario.
5. Beautiful and cool
The British-Brazilian's beauty is undeniable. It may seem as if she was born to wear amazing outfits and hit red carpets, but actually, it's not really her thing.
Kaya told The Telegraph:
I’m not good at dressing up, I always feel a bit out of place. It’s just not me – high heels and designer dresses – and I can’t seem to get used to it.
She is a girl of simple pleasures and proves it by posting natural pictures of her life to her Instagram account.
4. From West Sussex to Hollywood
Kaya's climb to fame is a fascinating one. The young Londoner was just 14-years-old when she accidentally popped onto the set of Channel 4's Skins TV series in 2007, as it was located on her way to school.
Without attending any drama school, she landed the role of Effy - a young and beautiful rebel - who appeared as a main character for four seasons of the show.
With the 2009 movie Skins ended, the actress quickly moved onto the big screen with the movie Moon by Duncan Jones, David Bowie's son.
Kaya became an unstoppable force as she landed the lead role in Wuthering Heights in 2011, played alongside Jessica Biel in The Truth About Emanuel and landed roles in both The Maze Runner Movies and The King's Daughter which is set to be released this year.
In between movies, Kaya has appeared in music videos such as Plan B's She Said and Robbie Williams' Candy, as well as working as a model for magazines such as Vogue, Nylon and Elle UK.
According to The Irish Sun, Kaya was rumoured to be paid £1.5million for her role in the Disney movie but the young actress told The Telegraph that success didn't come easily:
I was incredibly shy and insecure as a child. I was bullied, I was dyslexic, I had an immigrant single parent, I was the opposite of that kind of ideal, cool girl thing.(...) So acting was a great outlet for me by pretending to be someone else.
I am just interested in showing that people from my background can be successful.
She also said to The Press-Enterprise:
In England, there this tradition of the upper classes going to very expensive drama schools, and then going on having careers. I knew that wasn’t an option for me. My mother would never have been able to afford that.
3. She’s a rebel on screen
Kaya began her acting career with a role she was familiar with - a young rebel girl in high school escaping her issues with sex, drugs and parties.
She told The Irish Sun:
I know kids who live like this. (...) My school was voted the worst school in Islington. Reading the Skins script reminded me of being back there, that sort of intimidation, the feeling you have when you’re that age, that you’re God and you rule everything.
In Pirates of The Caribbean, she also plays a rebellious woman. Don't be fooled by her beauty, her character Carina Smith is an astronomer of the 18th century who knows how to stand up for herself, even against Captain Jack Sparrow.
The actress told The Morning Journal:
I didn’t want to play the love interest. I didn’t want to play the damsel in distress. I told them I wanted Carina to be a well-rounded female: That she’s got heart, she’s got soul and that she can have her own journey.
2. She is grateful to her mother
Kaya's Mum, Katia, is originally from Brazil. She met her father, Roger, when she came to England and he left sometime after Kaya was born. The actress' Mum raised her daughter alone, facing difficulties such as racism and tough jobs.
She told The Telegraph: "My mother is amazing. She moved from Surrey to London, taught herself English and found a job."
"She worked as hard as she could to support me but still people come up to her and tell her to go back on the banana boat, complaining she’s 'taken their jobs'."
She added: "It’s so rude and upsetting. She’s put up with this for years. I feel very protective towards her."
The actress is grateful to her mother for all the sacrifices she made in order to raise her. She even thanks her through her acting. She revealed to The Mirror:
I’ve got a dream about doing a drama about my mum’s background in Brazil and the struggles she faced to make the life for me, for us.
She added: "It would be set in Brazil and I’d play the young her. Mum’s fine with that, but she wants script approval."
Mums will always have the last word.
1. Mother and wife
After she met her husband, actor Benjamin Walker, on the set of The King's Daughter in 2014, the couple were happily married in 2015.
And in November 2016, the couple welcomed their little boy!
Kaya is talented, beautiful and an all around boss managing her rising career as well as her family at the young age of 25! She's a huge source of inspiration and motivation to work hard and reach your goals.
As her Hollywood career is just starting, we can expect to see her more and more and we wish her a successful career!
