Kaya Scodelario Does Not Have A Crush on Johnny Depp, Thank You Very Much

Kaya Scodelario stars opposite Dylan O’Brien in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.

Is Kaya Scodelario the next Jennifer Lawrence? She might have auditioned for the role of Katniss—and calls Lawrence’s performance “brilliant”—but just because she didn’t get it doesn’t mean the half-Brazilian, half-British actress isn’t on her way to becoming a household name.

You might recognize the 23-year-old actress from Skins, the British melodrama about hard-partying teens in which she started starring opposite Nicholas Hoult (yes, J.Law’s ex) at just 14. This weekend, she stars in a post-apocalyptic young adult film, The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials. And next up, she’s the female lead to Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean installment, Dead Men Tell No Tales. Before you ask, she swears she’s not harboring any sort of crush on Depp, “He’s 52 and I’m 23 so it was really nothing like that. It wasn’t romantic in any way whatsoever,” she says. (We weren’t going to be the first to point out that his new wife is only six years older.) “I think he’s a really amazing character actor and I loved having the opportunity to get to get to work with him. I really do think he’s one of the kindest actors I’ve ever worked with.”

But first, Maze Runner. It’s Scodelario’s first sequel and the film revolves largely around her character, which is why she signed up for the whole thing in the first place. “[Teresa] has a big decision to make. This movie is really about her arc,” she says. That means more screen time, and more action, including a kill-shot. “I really fought to be able to kill one of the Cranks because I’m running around with a hammer the whole time. So I said to [director] Wes [Ball], ‘Please. Let me just smack one across the face with it!’” She got her wish, and that isn’t even her favorite part of the film.

Kaya Scodelario and her fiance, Benjamin Walker, at the premier of Maze Runner: Scorch Trials. Photo: Getty Images

While most post-apocalyptic young adult stories carry a thread of romance throughout, Scodelario loves that Maze Runner steers (mostly) clear. “I think that’s what kind of sets our movie apart,” she says. “This is a movie about survival and trying to find out who you are. There isn’t time for dating in the park. They have a really strong connection, a bond, but I am a strong believer that you can have a male and a female in a movie and it doesn’t mean that they have to have sex.”

Working toward household-name status is exhausting. Scodelario spent a few days in the hospital for exhaustion at the end of filming Maze Runner, and landed back there after slipping on the Black Rose and dislocating her shoulder—all of which she says it pretty common when you’re working 18-hour days for six months straight. All the more reason, she says, to really focus on herself when she’s off. That’s why you’ll see her out and about with different hair colors— “Every day you’re told how your hair is supposed to look, I just wanted to take back some ownership of it”—but nowhere near a Hollywood party: “I live a really kind of chill, simple life.”

She’s not so chill, however, about her upcoming wedding to actor Benjamin Walker. A self-proclaimed “bridezilla,” Scodelario says her other best friends are also engaged, and they’re enjoying going crazy together. Mum on wedding details, there’s one thing she can’t hide: Her fiance’s name is tattooed on her ring finger. “We did it because as an actor, when you become a character, you have to take your rings off,” she says. “Every bit of your personality and style had to become that character. And this is our little way of getting around that.” In her dreams, it’d be one of many tattoos. “If I didn’t do this job, I think that I would be covered head-to-toe in tattoos. Really beautiful body art is something that I would love to do, but it’s something that I’m probably not brave enough to do. Ruby Rose, the actress from Orange is the New Black has incredible tattoos on her neck; I just think she looks amazing.”

If someone can come up with a tattooed character for her to play next, that’d be great. For now, enjoy watching her skyrocket toward the J.Law stratosphere.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.