Top Boy star Ashley Walters is a far cry from her drug dealer character on the hit Netflix series as she stars in a new PG Tips campaign.
The actor and former So Solid Crew member, 41, best known for playing gang member Dushane Hill on Top Boy, takes center stage in the campaign – the brand’s first TV ad in eight years.
It comes after the tea brand previously starred comedian and actor Johnny Vegas, 53, in its iconic adverts.
The new advert starring Ashley is titled ‘Rock Solid’ and the entire campaign cost a whopping £12million.
It has a soundtrack by Ezra Collective and is directed by Oscar winner Steve McQueen.
Top Boy star Ashley Walters is a far cry from her drug dealer character on the hit Netflix series as she stars in a new PG Tips campaign.
The actor and former So Solid Crew member, 41, known for playing gang member Dushane Hill on Top Boy, takes center stage in the campaign – the brand’s first TV ad in eight years.
It comes after the tea brand previously starred comedian and actor Johnny Vegas, 53, in its iconic adverts.
In the 70-second clip, Walters can be seen coaching himself to “get unstuck” with a cup of PG Tips.
He goes down to the kitchen and talks to a twin about himself and asks, ‘What’s wrong, brother? Is something bothering you?’
His other self then responded, “I can’t lie, it’s this new job. What if I’m not good enough?”
The other Ashley then offers her a cup of PG Tips and assures her that she can take care of anything she needs.
He’s dressed in a casual gray sweater at the kitchen table as he tries to get his morning off to a good start.
Of the concept, Karen Owen, senior global marketing executive at Lipton Teas and Infusions, which owns the brand, said: “When you look at Gen Z culture, there’s a real fear of burnout.”
‘They are not interested in coffee because it is a culture of exhaustion; is pushing the problem into the future. “It’s much more about recovery and reconnecting with yourself.”
It comes after Ashley Walters said the biggest regret of his life was when his children saw him arrested after threatening a traffic warden in 2002.
The new advert starring Ashley and her ‘twin’ is titled ‘Rock Solid’ and cost a whopping £12 million.
It has a soundtrack by Ezra Collective and is directed by Oscar winner Steve McQueen.
He’s dressed in a casual gray sweater at the kitchen table as he tries to get his morning off to a good start.
He goes down and talks to a twin about himself and asks: ‘What’s wrong brother? Is something bothering you?’ His other self then responded, “I can’t lie, it’s this new job. What if I’m not good enough?”
The other Ashley then offers her a cup of PG Tips and assures her that she can take care of anything she needs.
Of the concept, Karen Owen, senior global marketing executive at Lipton Teas and Infusions, which owns the brand, said: “When you look at Gen Z culture, there’s a real fear of burnout.” They are not interested in coffee because that is a culture of exhaustion.
Ashley appears in Top Boy as east London drug dealer Dushane and his accomplice Sully, played by rapper Kano.
The star opened up about his life in a candid chat for the BBC’s Louis Theroux Interviews, where he opened up about his troubles with the law.
Ashley recalled how she once had a gun pointed at her while holding her son Shayon, now 22, after she made a comment about someone copying her lyrics on the radio.
Following the incident, father-of-eight Ashley spent £1,300 on a gun to “protect himself”.
However, in 2002, the actor was arrested when he lost his temper in a disagreement with a traffic warden and said, “I’m going to shoot you.”
The TV star’s partner, Natalie Williams, and their children Shayon and China, now 21, watched as police handcuffed him and led him away.
Recalling the incident, he said: “Actually, I wasn’t going to shoot. I wasn’t willing to risk my freedom by shooting a traffic guard. But I mean, I made my comments, I said what I said.
‘It was horrible. What I regret most is that my children were there. “It was a big part of my life,” she admits. “I never wanted to go back to prison.”
Ashley shares Shayon and Panerai, 19, and daughter China with ex-partner Natalie Williams.
The Netflix star also has two young daughters, Antonia and Ashleigh, with another unnamed woman, while he is raising Amiaya-Love and River and a stepson with his wife of seven years, actress Danielle Isaie.
Ashley, who ended up serving 18 months in prison, said she regretted following in her convicted father’s footsteps.
The actor, from Peckham, south-east London, was raised by his mother Pamela while his father was in and out of prison.
He joined So Solid Crew when he was 16 and established himself as Asher D.
He joined So Solid Crew when he was 16 and established himself as Asher D (seen on Top Boy).
It comes after Ashley Walters said the biggest regret of his life was when his children saw him arrested after threatening a traffic warden in 2002.
Recalling his youth, he said: ‘We live in a place where if young people are not fully occupied, what are they doing? They’re wandering around, maybe getting into trouble.
‘It was only when I turned 16 that I changed, when I was a child. Those years are when I went out and got into trouble, and joined So Solid.
“I wasn’t rebelling against my mother, but I was rebelling against all those things she had built for me and how safe she kept me… I didn’t grow up rich, but I had no reason to.” sell drugs or be on the street.
“But I was walking with some real gangsters at the time, so it was easy for me to become a target.”