Adolescence star ‘was on the brink of quitting acting’ before show that had him ‘crying most nights’
ONE of the stars of Adolescence has confessed that he ‘was on the brink of quitting acting’ before the show.
Netflix has dropped the brand new limited series that was created by A-list star, Stephen Graham, 51.
The actor also stars in the series which was co-written by producer, screenwriter and playwright, Jack Thorne.
Adolescence focuses on the aftermath of a tragic murder as a 13-year-old boy (played by Owen Cooper) has been accused of brutally killing an older female classmate.
His family, the school, and a therapist are completely in shock as the detective in charge of the case is looking into what really happened.
The miniseries has been a smash-hit and is currently the number one programme on the global platform, as of the time of writing.
Ashley Walters, 42, plays one of the investigating officers, DCI Luke Bascombe, in the hit crime drama.
Although he’s starred in huge projects such as Top Boy and Harlan Coben’s Missing You, he’ now admitted that he was considering leaving the industry before the show came along.
“It was intense. It was intense … I came into this job personally thinking that I was going to quit acting,” he told Radio Times.
“So before I was like, ‘I’ve had enough.’ And obviously I’ve started directing and I was like, ‘I want to pursue that a bit more, slow down the acting a bit, and eventually phase it out.’
“And Stephen [Graham,] called me and was like, ‘No, you got to come and do this job.’”
The actor also admitted that the script was so intense, it had him crying “most nights” when he worked on the project.
“So I came, didn’t realise how intense it was going to be, but it was so intense. The challenge was great.” he continued.
“I was crying into my script most nights in the apartment, so scared I’m not going to remember the material.
“But actually, coming out of it, I grew. There was a newfound love for the craft and what I do. So it was intense, but really challenging and beautiful at the end of it for me.”
Ashley plays the lead detective in the murder investigation, but he wants people who watch the show think more about the psychology behind crimes and why people get into desperate situations.
- The best thrillers on Netflix
- The most terrifying horrors on Netflix
- The best true crime series on Netflix
“I think why this show is so great is because it’s not about the crime, really,” he explained.
“The crime is bad, obviously, but what we’re talking about is the psychology, the reasons why someone would do what they do.
“And I don’t think it’s big in the press about why people are in these positions. We’re always talking about hoodies, people stabbing each other, and more sentences and more years in prison.
“But actually, no one’s actually breaking down why people are getting to this stage.”
I was crying into my script most nights in the apartment, so scared I’m not going to remember the material.
Ashley Walters
Ashley continued: “And I think this is perfect for us, because we have (the suspect) Jamie Miller, who comes from such a perfect home.
“His dad’s there for him, his mum’s there for him. They work, they’re not in poverty. They’re not struggling too much.
Adding: “It’s like all the things that we talk about that we feel are probably factors of why anyone would commit that sort of crime doesn’t exist in this, in this show.
“So it just shows you anyone can slip into this, from any walk of life. And it’s important that we have to have the conversation.”
Adolescence is available to stream now on Netflix.