Dev Patel's neighbours were horrified by his Skins role

Dev Patel's neighbours were horrified by his role as sex-crazy Anwar in TV show Skins.

The Slumdog Millionaire actor's mum saw a casting call for the British teen drama and encouraged him to audition for Anwar, and Patel was cast alongside the likes of Nicholas Hoult and Daniel Kaluuya despite having no screen acting experience.

While the show was a hit with the British public, Patel's hard-partying character didn't go down well with his community.

"It felt like suicide in the community to put your kid into a TV show and let him drop out of school at 16," Patel told The New York Times. "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."

While the show kickstarted the 31-year-old's acting career and gave him enough money to treat his family, he admitted there was a big downside as Anwar was often considered the least attractive character by fans.

"I was a young kid going on these chat rooms and it was quite brutal," he shared. "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, the least attractive. No one liked Anwar. It really took a toll on me personally."

Since his breakthrough on Skins, Patel has landed roles in films such as Lion, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and The Green Knight.