Skins star Dev Patel revealed that the series’ fans shared negative comments about his appearance that took a toll on him.

While promoting new medieval fantasy The Green Knight recently, the Oscar-nominated actor remembered how he used to go on online chat rooms as a youngster to see what people were saying about the hugely popular teen drama. He said he would always regret doing so, though, when he’d see people ranking his character Anwar Kharral as the “least attractive.”

“There were all these lists of who’s the favourite character on the show or who was the best-looking character, and I was always the ugliest,” he explained to the New York Times. “No one liked Anwar. It really took a toll on me personally.”

Skins was a hit TV series in the late ’00s that launched the careers of now-Hollywood actors Dev, Daniel Kaluuya and Nicholas Hoult. Patel played the role of Anwar Kharral, a Muslim teen who doesn’t take his religion seriously and engages in drinking, taking drugs and sex.

Patel was just 16 years old when he landed his role in Skins, having had no professional acting experience prior to that point. In the same interview, the now-31-year-old remembered how his “neighbours were horrified” about his parents letting him drop out of school and pursue a career in film and TV.

He continued: “It felt like suicide in the community to put your kid into a TV show and let him drop out of school at 16. While everyone else’s kid is off becoming a doctor or a dentist, I’m here on this TV show simulating sex and taking drugs.”

In David Lowery’s The Green Knight, he plays Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s headstrong nephew, who embarks on a quest to confront the titular figure – a gigantic tree-like creature.

Also Read: Dev Patel Is In Mumbai For A Quick Recce For His Directorial Debut