Ashley Walters

He rose to prominence as part of garage collective So Solid Crew and since then, Ashley Walters has gone on to become one of Britain’s most celebrated young black actors.

He’s been through his share of drama in the past– So Solid’s association with violence, his stint in jail for gun possession, etc– but has since cleaned up his act. Having starred in films including Bullet Boy and Sugarhouse, the 25-year-old talent will also star in the forthcoming movie, Speed Racer.

But for now, he’s back on stage, starring in the new play, Oxford Street. Set in a sports store, it looks behind the glossy image of the high street to follow the lives of the characters that work in the store. Taking a break from rehearsals, Walters took time to talk Davina Morris about the play, as well as talking family, fatherhood and future plans…

What’s your character like in Oxford Street?

He’s got two sides to him. On one hand, he`s a very sweet guy. He`s got two kids, he lives with his nan and he`s a bit of a wheeler-dealer. His family have been putting pressure on him to get a decent job so he can make some money in the run-up to Christmas, as it’s three weeks before Christmas. He goes to the sports store in the hope of becoming more legitimate, but once he gets there, his agenda changes. He becomes very scheming. So it’s pretty cool being able to play a character that goes through such a transition.

Have you worked in a sports store before?

I did go up for a job in JD Sports years ago but I didn`t get it. I was proper upset. I got to the training stage and everything, but they didn’t hire me. And the girl that was hiring was younger than me. That was weird.

What’s happening on the music front?

I’m doing my thing but it’s hard. Since I came out of jail, I`ve been struggling to get my music going because the music industry has pretty much shut the door on anything So Solid-related. So I`ve tried to go in a different direction with my next album that I`m releasing in a couple of months. I`ll more than likely go under my name, Ashley Walters, as opposed to Asher D and go with a new image. When people hear the name Asher D, the first thing they think is So Solid, secondly it’s my gun charge and last, its the music. I want people to think about my music first. The name Ashley Walters doesn`t come with all the other madness.

Will So Solid ever make a comeback?

I have had a few calls about a reunion of some kind. And I guess now would be the right time to capitalise on something like that. But I know for myself and I think I can also speak for Harvey and perhaps Romeo, things would have to be right a second time around. Right now, So Solid is very fragmented. There are a lot of different sectors that are still doing their individual thing, but aren`t willing to work with certain others. So in order for that jigsaw to fit again, it would take a lot of planning and hard work. I spoke to Mega recently and he was talking about a greatest hits album or maybe a club tour, so we`ll see what happens. I don`t know if I`d be involved in that, but if it’s right for me and it’s at the right time, I`d definitely like to be involved.

You’ve got three kids. What kind of dad are you?

I`m fun. My oldest says I`m cool. He`s at the age now where his friends know who I am, so he`s quite popular at school. But as much fun as we have, there`s a lot of work done as well. When they come home from school, its books, its reading, I`m doing maths and spelling tests with them, all of that. But they`re doing well now. They got off to a slow start because they started at a bad school in Peckham. The way they taught was far behind the way the system worked. So when I put them into a better school, they didn`t know as much as they should have for their ages. But now, they’re doing really well.

Are you scared for your kids when you see the level of crime taking place amongst young people today?

Oh yeah. It’s bad out there. I look around me and I see young kids walking out their house, talking about `I`ll be back in a minute, mum`. My eldest is eight and there is no way I`d let him go anywhere on his own. I`d be too scared.

Kids are being influenced at a younger age to get into a lot of stupid things. And when you mess up your life early, it’s so hard to catch up and put things right.

You’ve been with your partner Natalie for ten years. You not planning a wedding yet?

I just don`t think we`re ready. Before my dad died, he was like `Ashley, you`ve gotta get married before I die`. But we didn`t wanna do it just because my dad wanted to see it. We`re just not at that stage where we`re ready to make that commitment. It’s been a long time, but there have been a lot of negative things that have happened in that time. A lot of things that have put dents in our trust for each other. She also finds it hard to deal with the attention I get from other women. So it’s about getting to that point where I`m not storming out the house to go and stay with my mum after we`ve had an argument. Coz once I make that commitment, I don`t wanna do it again!

What are your future plans?

By the end of the year, I wanna buy a big house out of London. The next move after that will probably be to move out of the country coz sometimes I hate England. Yes, The States is so segregated and racist compared to the UK. There is racism in the UK, but in The States, its so rife, you can almost smell it on the street. But at the same time, when there`s money to be made, colour becomes incidental. A rich white man in The States will work with a black man if there`s money to be made. But over here, people don`t connect. We don’t engage with different people and that’s a shame.

Where do you think you would move to?

Canada is a country I`ve got my eye on. I`ll never forget, when I went to Canada to do the 50 Cent film [Get Rich or Die Tryin’]. I was standing outside the airport when I first got there and needed directions. The closest person to me was this old white woman, holding her handbag. I was smoking a cigarette and you know when you know in your mind that someone`s not gonna want to help you? That`s what I was thinking. I was convinced that she was just gonna grab up her hand bag in fear. But I took a chance and went up to her to ask for help. She gave me directions and even said, `you`re such a charming and gorgeous young man`. She shocked the life out of me!

Oxford Street is at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1 from May 2-31. Call 020 7565 5000 or visit www.royalcourttheatre.com.