I was threatened with knife in club for playing gay teen – before producer’s remark sparked OCD ordeal, says Skins star
WHEN ground-breaking teen drama Skins first hit our screens, an instant fan favourite was Maxxie - an openly and proudly gay dancer whose breath-taking talent often stole the show.
However, away from the cameras, actor Mitch Hewer was met with a wave of vile homophobic abuse, with one man in a nightclub even threatening to stab him and brandishing a knife.
The traumatic incident made him feel unable to go out in his hometown of Bristol, but it was far from his only problem after leaving the show.
Mitch, now 32, who also starred in Britannia High and Casualty, battled crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that left him unable to be touched and scrubbing his skin until it bled.
Thankfully, after swapping LA for a seaside town in Wales, he's found love and credits the birth of his baby daughter, Aria, with easing his mental health troubles.
Now, 15 years on since the controversial Channel 4 drama aired, Mitch tells The Sun about being cast for the series, his character's legacy and one very awkward incident with now Hollywood star Dev Patel.
'Yobs pelted me at bars & threatened me with knife for playing gay teen'
A dancer by trade, Mitch never planned to go into acting, but took the Skins job after being approached by a producer in college.
Despite being straight, he had no qualms about playing Maxxie and is proud of the way he played the character.
“I remember them asking me if I was ok playing Maxxie because he was gay but I was thrilled. Being a dancer, I had been surrounded by girls and gay men for most of my life,” he says.
While reaction to his portrayal was overwhelmingly positive, he reveals he was sadly targeted by homophobic yobs.
“I had some bad experiences, the worst was going into a club where they were calling me derogatory names, threw ice at me and then one person threatened to stab me,” he says.
“I went to the bar to get drinks for some of the cast and someone said, ‘You’re that guy off Skins’ and then he goes, ‘You better not be gay in real life.’
“He opened his coat and he had a knife in there. He said, ‘If you’re gay I’ll stab you.’ I had to say ‘I’m an actor’ and told the bartender not to worry about the drinks. I walked away as quickly as I could.
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“It was the last time I went out in Bristol because I didn’t feel safe and was possibly one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. Even if I was gay I would have had to have lied to survive.
“Earlier that night I was heckled by people on the street who said some homophobic things too. It made me realise how strong gay people are because they have to deal with that every single day.”
Nonetheless, Mitch feels proud of his performance and of Maxxie, who didn't conform to cliched stereotypes.
He adds: “There weren’t many gay characters on TV at that point and Maxxie being gay was never an issue in the group, it was never brought up in a jokey, banterous or derogatory way.
“He was who he was and there were no questions asked, I think that’s really beautiful and it should happen more."
OCD hell left star unable to hug mum
Since his last appearance on Skins in 2008, Mitch has continued to pursue acting and for a while lived in Los Angeles.
He bagged a part in the 2014 film Behaving Badly, which starred Selena Gomez, and the Take That musical Never Forget, as well as TV shows, pantomimes and other theatre work.
But while Mitch lived stateside he developed crippling OCD after receiving negative comments from a producer, which left him unable to be touched without needing to scrub his skin.
“I was 19 or 20 and up for a big movie when a producer told me I needed to sort my skin out or I would never work in Hollywood,” he recalls.
“As the months went on I somehow created this prison in my mind where I thought if I had bad skin I wasn’t going to get a job and if I didn’t get a job I wouldn’t be happy.
“I used to scrub the skin off my face and fingers until they bled, I wouldn’t go out if I had a pimple and I wouldn’t see anyone if I wasn't perfect.
“I felt like I needed to shower if anyone touched my skin and I couldn’t even hug my own mother without freaking out and needing to go and wash.
“If I trimmed my beard and didn’t feel like it was all even or the correct length I would be there in the mirror for hours trying to work it out with scissors."
He adds: “A lot of people say they have OCD because they hate odd numbers but that’s not OCD. They don’t know how severely it affects your mental health.
“I remember being out for dinner and someone touched my face, all I could think of was that I needed to go home and clean myself. I left shortly after.”
Mitch tried various types of therapy but has only managed to overcome his struggles more recently, which he credits with meeting his girlfriend, who he does not want to name.
She messaged him on Instagram and shortly into their relationship, which has lasted for more than a year, she discovered she was pregnant.
Mitch says: “She’s going to hate me for this but we met online and she sent the first message, she knew who I was. It wasn’t really a fairytale love story but she’s an absolute blessing.”
They now lived together with her two other kids in Port Talbot, Wales, and in November, they welcomed their daughter.
“I’ve managed to get a lot better and actually my girlfriend’s children and our daughter have helped me out massively," he says. "I think it’s because you have to get on with things and move on.”
'I blacked out on camera with Dev Patel... due to dodgy stomach'
Skins was a national and international hit that even spawned its own US spin-off, but it wasn’t always fun and games.
Mitch says that while they were filming in Lithuania for the Russia episode he passed out due to exhaustion from food poisoning.
“I tried mussels for the very first time and had some extreme diarrhea. I was shooting out of both ends,” he recalls.
“Later on set, I remember talking to Dev Patel in a scene and then just blacking out, I passed out and apparently fell off camera.
“For the rest of that scene, the producer to play the back of my head with Maxxie’s hat and jacket on and I had to go to the hospital.”
Reflecting on his part in Skins, Mitch insists he is eternally grateful for being given a part in the show.
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He says: “I feel like back then we all had a bit of us in each of the characters, it generally happens as an actor and a part of you always goes into the role.
“But with my character, I feel like I learned a lot from playing Maxxie and definitely took a lot from him.”
What is OCD?
OBSESSIVE Compulsive Disorder, commonly referred to as OCD, is a severe anxiety disorder that affects 12 in every 1,000 people.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) ranks OCD among the top ten most debilitating illnesses of any kind in terms of lost earnings and lowered quality of life.
There are two aspects to the condition – obsessions and the compulsions.
Obsessions are thoughts, ideas and urges which feel impossible to ignore by sufferers.
They can cause a huge amount of anxiety, particularly if they are distressing thoughts about harm coming to someone you love.
Compulsions are the rituals patients perform to rid themselves of the attendant anxiety of obsessive thoughts.
Most people with OCD recognise their obsessions and compulsions are irrational but they can’t stop acting on them.
While OCD tends to develop slowly over a long period of time, stressful life events can also act as triggers, including bereavement, illness, or family issues.
OCD can be a difficult condition to deal with, but it is improvable and there is help on offer to those who need it.
Remember, you’re not alone and even just speaking to someone about your condition can greatly improve your quality of life.
Contact your GP or care team immediately if you ever feel you can't go on. You can also phone the Samaritans on 116 123, or you can call one of these helplines or support groups or NHS 111.
