From Top Boy to Bulletproof and Adolescence, it’s fair to say that Ashley Walters is one of the shining talents in British acting today—but getting here hasn’t been smooth sailing.
Through sheer determination, the 43-year-old, who was born in south London, has forged a lucrative pathway for himself in the industry.
Following the breakout success of Philip Barantini’s Emmy-nominated Adolescence on Netflix, which starred Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, Ashley is currently working on an M. Night Shyamalan supernatural thriller called Remain alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
This came after Steven Spielberg’s office called him, asking him to consider a role in his latest film.
However, many fans might not realise that this is Ashley’s first-ever major role in a US movie.
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Speaking to Variety, the actor shed light on his long journey to success and how he was ‘basically banned’ from America for two decades due to his criminal record.
‘Five years ago, there was absolutely no chance that I was going to be in this position,’ Ashley told the publication.
‘I was basically banned from the country. There were visa issues. I had a criminal record.’
In 2002, Ashley – who was just 19 – was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institution for possession of an illegal firearm.
Despite having already appeared in a number of TV roles, including BBC’s Grange Hill, after his first acting role at the age of 10 in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, he was known for being in the hip hop group the So Solid Crew.
In the end, he only ended up serving seven months of his sentence after promising to focus on acting.
He said: ‘After a few years of not being able to get a visa, I said to myself, “Well, it’s not going to happen for me; I’ve got to make do with what I’ve got and fulfill my career and my destiny here in the U.K.” So I kind of stopped worrying about it.’
Taking that advice, he began to build his acting profile, winning best newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards for his lead performance in Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy in 2004.
Other roles included Speed Racer and 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which was filmed in Ireland.
His career then truly began to take off after the 2011 gangland drama series Top Boy, which was pulled from Channel 4 in 2014, but flourished again on Netflix five years later.
In Adolescence—a miniseries following teen boy Jamie accused of killing a female classmate and the impact of the fallout on his family—Ashley played DI Luke Bascombe.
Together with Faye Marsay’s DS Misha Frank, they investigated the murder of Katie and interrogated rising star Owen’s Jamie.
The drama, for which each episode was shot in one take, sparked worldwide debates and conversations about masculinity and incel culture, even in Parliament. Following its millions of streams, it’s been nominated for 13 Emmys.
Now, with numerous opportunities presenting themselves to him in the States, Ashley is keen to make the most of the success.
‘It’s another reason why I cherish this moment so much. I want to do everything I can before someone takes away that visa on my passport.’
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