Kaya Scodelario

Kaya Rose Scodelario is a British actress and model born on 13 March 1992. She initially came to prominence for portraying Effy Stonem on the E4 teen drama series Skins. Following her television success, she transitioned into feature film roles, gaining broad recognition through major franchises such as the Maze Runner series and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Over her career, she has taken on leading roles across film and television, ranging from period literary adaptations to genre thrillers and biographical dramas.

Scodelario was born Kaya Rose Humphrey in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, to Katia Scodelario, a Brazilian accountant, and Roger Humphrey. Her surname derives from her mother's Italian grandfather, while her father was of Polish-English heritage. Following her parents' divorce when she was one year old, her mother moved her to London, where they initially experienced homelessness before securing a council flat on Holloway Road. Raised speaking Portuguese, Scodelario attended St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Bishop Douglass Catholic School, and Islington Arts and Media School, where participating in school plays provided an escape from bullying.

In 2006, at age 14 and with no prior acting experience, Scodelario was cast on Skins. Her character, Effy Stonem, evolved from a minor role into the central figure of the show's third and fourth series. Her performance earned two Golden Nymph nominations as well as two Best Actress nominations at the TV Quick Awards. She later reprised the role in 2013 for "Fire," a two-part feature-style storyline in the show's final season exploring her character's transition into adulthood.

Scodelario made her feature film debut in the 2009 science-fiction thriller Moon, followed by roles in Shank and the remake Clash of the Titans. In 2011, she starred as Cathy in Andrea Arnold's film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, earning positive reviews at several international film festivals. During this period, she appeared in the UK thriller Twenty8k, the drama Now Is Good, the improvised BBC serial True Love, the American independent feature The Truth About Emanuel, and the Channel 4 miniseries Southcliffe.

In 2013, Scodelario was cast as the female lead, Teresa, in the film adaptation of The Maze Runner, subsequently reprising her role in the 2015 and 2018 sequels. She starred in the 2015 home-invasion thriller Tiger House and held a lead role in the 2017 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Her film work continued with the biographical drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the horror film Crawl, and 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, in which she portrayed video game character Claire Redfield.

Scodelario has also worked extensively in television and commercial projects, becoming the face of Cartier's Clash de Cartier jewelry line in 2019 and appearing in an earlier campaign for J. Estina. She starred in the Netflix figure skating drama Spinning Out and the Agatha Christie miniseries The Pale Horse. Her subsequent credits include the feature films The King's Daughter, Don't Make Me Go, This Is Christmas, and the 2025 thriller The Woman in Cabin 10. In 2024, she starred in the Netflix series The Gentlemen and played reporter Laura Harrison in the biographical drama Senna.