I am not about airs and graces, fancy cars or jewellery. I am just about my family and my kids.
— Ashley Walters
It's down to schools to educate children about their history, especially black history.
I'm not a fan of social media, to be honest.
After one brandy, I'm already slurring. I'm quite a lightweight.
I loved English and I tell kids that without English I wouldn't be able to rap.
My mother was - and is - a very strong woman; very strict. She was a serious mum; a feared parent.
Some days it seems I've done as much as I can here and I think I'll go and try my luck in America. But then a call comes from the Globe theatre. They want me for King Lear, playing Edmund.
Drake is involved heavily, and they're kind of working away to find the right home for 'Top Boy,' whether that be Netflix, whether it be on TV, whether it be Amazon, I don't know.
My son broke his arm. I couldn't do anything, couldn't be there. That's when I knew I was a bad parent. I was doing the same thing my dad had done to me.
The main thing I learned in jail was how much I love my kids, that I never want to be away from them again.
My heart truly lies in good scripts.
When I was in So Solid Crew, people were always asking if we were associated with the rise in gun crime.
I grew up part of the MTV generation. I saw Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z on TV and I thought: 'Wow, look at these powerful black people.' I wanted that.
My mum's been my backbone, my inspiration, and the person who's pushed me in my career.
I woke up one day and there were loads of calls on my phone. My best friend was like: bro, go to Drake's Instagram. So I went and saw my big head on there, a picture and a caption or whatever, and it was 'Top Boy' related. Long story short: we got in contact and had a few conversations about him being a big fan of the show.
There were not a lot of roles for a black man like myself that were different. Then 'Top Boy' came. I read the script and I loved that the characters were human.
Acting is something I feel good about doing, I'm lucky enough to love my job as well.
I think it's difficult for people to understand that when you come from an impoverished background you're very limited in the way you think.
My father passed away in 2005, and day after, I sat in my flat in Woolwich on my bed, and I feel that I saw him.
I sit down on my sofa and I turn on 'Judge Judy.' That's my guilty pleasure. I could do a whole day of that.
The only TV show that I've been in that my uncle gives me recognition for is 'Doctor Who.'
I went to a branch of the City of Westminster College in Maida Vale to do drama, sociology and English literature. I stayed for three or four months.
Whatever I want, the next car or the next house, I stick a picture of it to the back of my door, so I can look at it first thing in the morning and dream it into existence.
For me, exercise isn't really about being healthy, it's more about vanity.
To be honest, there is going to be no 'Top Boy America.'
A lot of black actors will sit there and go, 'Every role is about being a gangster' - then they get an opportunity to write a script and they write about a gangster. You know... write about a superhero.
I was angry when I was young, but I was never really that violent. I hardly ever fought, mainly because I wasn't very good at it.
I have done a lot of short dramas that are three, four or five episodes and so that makes the filming process similar to the independent film process; it is very intimate, and it is a small cast and a small crew and everyone is there with a common goal and want the best for that project.
It was tough: I had to kiss a man, and I got a mixed reaction from the black community. But I have to be ready to play any role, or I can't call myself an actor.
My dad spent most of my childhood behind bars. He went to jail 17 or 18 times. It was only when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 that we started to have a relationship.
Drake revived 'Top Boy,' if I'm honest with you. You've got to give him a lot of credit.
As an actor you pull your socks up and look for the next job.
I worked in WH Smiths on Sloane Square and my first boss was a woman called June. My shift was half a day on Saturdays, and nine to six on Sundays. I was in and out of the place and only turned up when I wanted to.
I couldn't take that whole retail thing of being polite to people that are not being polite to you, and showing respect to people when they've got no respect for you. Retail in general is something I just can't do, unless it's my own shop.
I grew up on an estate in Peckham.
This game is full of rejection. As an actor, you are being told 'No' an awful lot of the time. You have to keep getting up and carrying on to get to where you want to go.
When I was released from prison, I didn't want to leave my house for the first three months.
I would love to have a chat with Michael Jackson. For the sole purpose of seeing if he has a deep voice or not. A lot of people say he actually had a deep baritone, but then on TV he always had the high pitched squeaky voice. I would love to spend some time with him.
My mum put me into the Sylvia Young Theatre School aged four, and I'd go there at weekends.
I'd love to have a farm and some space for my kids.
I don't want to force anyone to give me a job. I want to be the right person for the part.
I come from a place where to go to prison is like a rite of passage. It's something that you gain respect for. I used to watch people come out of prison, older cousins and the like, back in the day, and be in awe of them.
Using a gun is a coward's way to hurt someone.
Growing up without a father has made fatherhood harder for me.
I wanted to show that I could take on roles that were a bit softer and more caring.
As an actor, you're different in every role.
When I was young I wanted to be a bus driver, because my grandad was a conductor on the Routemasters.
You know, I have got quite a husky, gritty voice which people say - even when I'm talking nicely - does sound a bit rough.
Top Boy' didn't try to glamorise anything. It gave it to you how it was. But it also dealt with mental health, social situations, immigration.
A lot of people out there are not content with their life, but I am.
