Mitch Hewer has become a pin-up boy for gay men, thanks to his role in controversial UK teen drama Skins. He spoke with Katrina Fox.

Forget The OC or Dawson’s Creek, if you want a series about teenagers that has some bite, look no further than Skins. The award-winning show premiered last year on E4, Channel 4’s new pay TV companion channel, and fast became a cult hit. Set in Bristol, it focuses on the lives of a group of teenagers and features regular drug use and sex without the usual accompanying moralistic high ground.

Among the characters are Tony, the handsome but manipulative popular boy; Cassie, the sweet but dark anorexic; Sid the nerd; Chris the layabout whose motto is ‘fuck it’; Michelle, the posh and needy girl who’s in love with Tony even though he treats her badly; Anwar the horny Muslim boy; and Maxxie, the cute gay guy who dreams of dancing on Broadway.

Maxxie is played by Mitch Hewer who landed the part despite not having any experience in acting.

“I was at college in Bristol studying musical theatre and a casting agent came round,” Hewer, 19, tells SX. “She spotted me and I went to an audition for Skins. I went there thinking nothing of it as I’d never really thought about being an actor, so when I got the part I was really shocked! I just thought, ‘I don’t know how to act!’ I’ve never studied acting. I always wanted to be a dancer. I was tap dancing until I was 11 but I didn’t go to a dance school until I was 16. I stayed at the dance school in Bristol for a year and then left to go to college where I studied musical theatre. I’ve not really had any training though – I’m not trained in anything! I wasn’t planning on being an actor, I just wanted to be a tap dancer. So when I got the part in Skins, it was a big learning curve for me.”
It may not have been a stretch for Hewer to play a dance student, given the similarities to his real life, but how did the straight actor feel about playing gay?

“To me, Maxxie is an ordinary kid,” he says. “He’s one of the lads and he just happens to be gay. Maxxie being gay is nothing to do with his storyline and there are much more exciting things that happen in Skins other than Maxxie being gay. Getting into the character was not hard at all because he’s a normal guy who just happens to go out with men rather than women and that wasn’t a problem for me.”

Family and friends were equally supportive, both of Hewer playing a gay character and of the show itself with its controversial storylines and its portrayal of sex and drugs as normal teenage behaviour. “My friends were really cool,” he says. “A couple of them asked me how I would feel about kissing guys but it’s only acting. My parents were just so happy for me to get a part it wouldn’t have mattered if it was gay or straight; they’re really proud of me.”

For Hewer, who doesn’t drink, take drugs or go out partying, Skins is a realistic representation of teenage life but exaggerated to make it interesting. “It’s a TV drama, so some things have to be exaggerated for entertainment value. I think a lot of people can relate to the characters in Skins, to their family issues, their problems and how they deal with life as young people, but not necessarily to all the drug-taking and the sex. Obviously parties do go on but Skins embellishes it all to make it more entertaining.”

Maxxie’s storyline takes an interesting turn at the start of the second season and Hewer himself has beefed up for the part, looking like a gay gym bunny. Was this the director’s idea? “It was probably from all my dancing,” he laughs. “I did go running and went to the gym occasionally, but I did it for myself. I knew I had to get my body out and I didn’t want to look skinny on television!”

In the UK, Maxxie has endeared himself to the gay community and this is something Hewer is obviously proud of. “I get a lot of fan mail from gay guys, which is really cool,” he enthuses. “It’s amazing to be receiving fan mail and I do my best to write back. I’m really grateful as it shows that people appreciate my work, which is great.”

Because Skins is about teenagers, the cast will change every two seasons, meaning no more Maxxie after Season Two. But expect to see more of Hewer – the boy has ambition. “I envy Zak Efron so I’d love to be in a High School Musical/Fame type of show, where I can show off my talent,” he says when asked what his ideal role would be. “I’d also love to be in a really cool action film, or a crazy film with Johnny Depp.” 
 
Skins (Season 2) screens at 10pm on Mondays on SBS. Seasons 1 on DVD is out now  through Madman.