Former "Skins" star Megan Prescott has opened up about her unexpected career path, drawing direct comparisons between her time as a teenage actor on the controversial British series and her subsequent work in the sex industry. In a revealing interview with Cosmopolitan UK published Wednesday, the 34-year-old explained her rationale for the transition.
From Teen Actor to Adult Industry
Prescott played the role of Katie Fitch on the hit show from 2009 to 2010, during seasons three and four, when she was just 16 to 18 years old. "Skins," which aired from 2007 to 2013, was notorious for its graphic depictions of teenage life, including sex, drug use, and chaos. While it launched the careers of stars like Dev Patel and Nicholas Hoult, Prescott found her opportunities limited afterward, partly due to the show's explicit content.
She described challenging conditions on set, including a significant age gap with a co-star. "I had only ever had a boyfriend that was my age, and the [actor playing my boyfriend] was very nice, but he was 30," Prescott recalled. She highlighted the lack of modern safeguards, noting that intimacy coordinators did not become common on sets until around 2018, following the rise of the Me Too movement in 2017.
Finding More Control in Sex Work
After struggling to find acting work, Prescott reluctantly began working as a stripper. "I literally have nothing to lose," she said of her decision. To her surprise, she found the sex industry offered more predictability and protection than her acting experiences.
"Sex work was a huge sigh of relief because it was black-and-white," she explained. "You want me to get naked for you and do a dance? OK, I know what to expect. In acting… it’s not like that. It’s very vague." She noted that in stripping, if a client was disrespectful or refused payment, she could call security—a clear boundary she felt was missing in acting, where she feared being blacklisted for speaking up.
Addressing Stigma and Hypocrisy
Prescott, who also earns money on the platform OnlyFans, spoke candidly about the double standards she perceives. The financial and time freedom from sex work has allowed her to pursue creative projects, she said.
She directly challenged the stigma, pointing to her early career. "The hypocrisy has always stuck with me," Prescott stated. "I was on TV, as a child, having sex scenes, on a show where a lot of people made a lot of money… if we are collectively OK with that... then why can’t I, as a grown woman, take ownership of my image and sexuality back and earn three times as much?"
Her comments add to a growing conversation about the treatment of young actors. Other "Skins" actresses have previously described traumatic experiences and feeling unprotected during filming, underscoring the changing standards in the entertainment industry regarding on-set safety and consent.
