50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Effy Stonem in “Skins” is probably Kaya Scodelario’s best known role (Photo: E4).

Kaya Scodelario

Kaya Scodelario is probably an unconventional pick to play the Doctor. She’s very young and still fairly unknown as an actress. But she’s extremely talented, very striking, and would make an extremely interesting casting choice. What if Doctor Who really did pick someone to who looks more a traditional companion casting to play Thirteen? How much would that shake up the show and its storytelling?

Today, Scodelario is probably still best known for her role as Effy Stonem on E4’s teen drama Skins. She was just 15 at the time (Skins was rather famous for using real teenagers as actors), but her performance is a tremendous one. Rebellious, outspoken, fragile and troubled, Effie was probably the standout character that came to represent Skins over the years. Scodelario’s performance is a big part of why. She’s exceptionally good at playing troubled strength, and possess a quiet ferocity that is extremely compelling to watch.

After her time on Skins concluded in 2010, Scodelario went on to star in a variety of other projects. Most notably, she played the older Cathy in an indie remake of Wuthering Heights and starred as the female lead in the Maze Runner movies, a dystopian saga of teens trapped in glade in the center of a labyrinthine maze. And she has another major part in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean sequel Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Despite all of this, none of her other roles ever quite equaled the mainstream status of Effie. (Scodelario tells a story in interviews about running into girls dressed as her Skins character for Halloween.) Doctor Who would not only be a boost for her acting career in terms of status, but provide a boon to the series as well. Fans loved Effie, and would doubtless follow Scodelario’s career on to its next destination, even if that role was playing an alien with a time-traveling phone box.