- I'm so happy for you right now!
(mumbling)
(laughing)
- Hi, I'm Gena.
I'm here with actor, Michael Ward,
who plays Jamie on Top Boy
and these are his Netflix nine!
(upbeat music)
- Not only have you joined
the cast of critically acclaimed show,
it's been executive produced
by Drake.
- Drizzy!
- What was it like meeting
and working with him?
- Yeah, like, the weirdest thing about me
meeting him was that
I actually watched him at Wireless
the day before.
So I see, like,
two big security guards come,
looking left and right.
Drake comes through
and I'm just standing there, like,
trying to not make it bait.
Oh my god!
That was one of the baddest things, actually!
Then Drake just came over
and giving me a hug
and saying, "You all right?"
And I was like, "Yeah!"
You know what I'm saying?
I was (mumbles).
- How did you keep it?
I would be like,
"I'm fine! No idea who you are, by the way."
- No , but I'm actor.
We can pretend to be cool.
- No, you're right.
- You know what I'm saying?
So I was acting cool.
As soon as he went inside
(laughs)
Yeah, it was mad!
(Drake) Yeah!
- Let them know, man!
Let them know what we about!
Aye yo!
- Do you guys have each other
on Instagram or stuff?
- Not yet. Not yet but soon.
I'm guessing.
- I was going to be like,
can you just message him
and be like I met this girl
called Gena.
- You say,
with the plug he's out here!
Six years ago
you tweeted that you couldn't wait
for Top Boy to come around.
- Oh, you saw that?
- I saw that tweet because
I do my research.
Because I'm a very good interviewer!
You tweeted that
and now you're starring in it.
- It's crazy!
- What's it like coming into something
that's so important to people?
Like, Top Boy is such a big thing to come into.
- It's a big, big, big blessing,
first and foremost.
And being able to act alongside
people I've seen on screen
six, seven, well eight years ago
is when it was made,
isn't it?
- And what was your reaction
when you got the role?
- I was actually in Glasgow,
in Maru, by myself
and I knew I was going to get a call.
So, it was like,
I can't get this call around people
so I was constantly just trying to
run back to the room
or whatever.
And as soon as soon as
I go back to the room
I was like, yo, call me now!
And then, yeah, Red D to the call
and it was just a big lead up.
And then Rei, the first director,
He called me and said
how would I like to take Top Boy three?
I was like, "What?
- Ooh! You came with the acting!
I was like different accent!
- Yep!
(laughing)
- I was like what? No!
You're trying shit!
You're trying rubbish!
So then, yeah man, it actually happened.
And then straight after
I called my agent because
he knew that I was going to get a phone call.
And I told him yeah, like,
"I didn't even get it man."
And my agent was like,
"Don't worry. It's cool.
Sometimes these things ain't meant to be."
- Aww, that's so sweet.
- And I was like,
"What do you mean?
Of course we got it!"
And he got (slang).
That was a blessing.
I will never forget that day!
Literally, I will never forget it.
- That is so nice!
I'm so happy for you!
(mumbling)
(laughing)
I saw a video where you took your mom
to see a Top Boy billboard.
- So you're proper preemie like that?
- As I said, I'm good at my job!
I wanted to come with the information.
- That's good!
- What has been your mom's reaction
to you being in this show.
And all your family and friends.
What's the reaction been
around you getting this opportunity?
- For me it's like once in a lifetime.
And being able to be a part of it
is just crazy, man.
And obviously that billboard,
it was just me and Ash up there.
So like, a lot of people,
if they don't even know you
they know that you are good
or a main character in the thing.
So like, my mom, it's just good for her.
You know, she's got bragging rights now
and stuff like that.
But it's just, again, we're just all blessed
and happy that at least
one of us has been able to get his opportunity.
You know what I'm saying?
- So I notice you've been calling
Ashley Walters by Ash.
- Yeah!
- So you guys are really good friends?
- Yeah, we're like that now.
- You're best friends?
- Yeah, we've been eating dinner.
- Really?
- Yo! It's mad.
- Really? Because I said hi to Ashley Walters
and left and he doesn't know me.
(laughing)
- So I was like (squeeking sound).
- You've got to get to know him.
- I know. You're so right.
You can't just be saying hi to people like that.
- Yeah, that's the thing, man.
- Yeah, I don't have any chill
so I was like, "Hey!"
So tell me about your experience
working with, you know,
the original cast members.
As you said, you've got Ashley,
you've got Kano,
you've got people like that.
- Let me say again, surreal.
Ashley's just someone that
I've looked up to because
he's broken down a barrier
by going down over into the States.
Because I've seen him in
"Get Rich Or Die Trying"
and that's one of my favorite movies.
So seeing him and I was thinking
he's made this possible.
He's actually paved the way for
people like me to come through.
So I'm always grateful for that.
(Gena) As someone who's younger
in the industry
what's he best piece of advice
that you've been given so far
in your career?
- Stay humble.
- You're definitely doing that.
- Yeah, man. I hear it all the time as well.
And something I realized
anyway, people can lose their way
and stuff like that
because of stuff like this.
You know what I'm saying?
There's a lot of people that will say yes.
So yeah, man.
You've always got to stay humble
and appreciate everything
that you have in life.
(Gena) What other shows
do you watch on Netflix?
Or have you watched on Netflix?
- I've recently watched
"When They See Us".
And that has inspired me so, so much.
The level of acting.
The director, Ava,
she done an amazing job.
Even light and sound.
You really appreciate everything
when it comes to
"When They See Us".
It was an amazing show.
And, for me, it's opened my eyes
and yet inspired me to just want to
tell stories now because
before when people used to ask me,
"Now that you've got Top Boy
what kind of stuff do you want to do?"
And I obviously I never started
with acting so
I'm kind of just going with the flow.
Just doing roles that I feel like is good.
You know what I'm saying?
But now I actually know
that I want to tell really
important stories that need to be told.
(Gena) Who's someone that you admire?
- I'd say my uncle.
I admire him a lot.
Because I wasn't actually born here.
I was born in Jamaica.
So I came here when I was four.
Obviously my dad died
when I was like two.
So then, yeah like, my uncle
just got us all over.
Which he never needed to do.
And also, he's opened up his own restaurant
and stuff like that.
So, yeah man, he's mad inspiring or me
and I just admire him so much.
Especially just because I'm here.
Because I know I never needed to be here.
And I see my family in Jamaica
and I'm just thinking
that could have been me.
(Gena) I'm glad you mentioned Jamaica.
Because you were born in Jamaica.
I was not born in Jamaica but
I'm British born Jamaican, okay?
- You're a jafaker!
- I'm not a jafaker!
Why do you guys always say that?
You always try to say that we're jafakans!
- When you're actually from there
that's the bragging rights you have!
- All right, but you have been here
since you were four so.
Do you know what I mean?
Like, don't even try it!
You're Jamaican,
I'm half Jamaican.
Let's say that since
your trying to deny my whole existence.
(mumbles)
What's the best thing about
being Jamaican?
- From such a small island
the fact that people speak about us is,
like we're always constantly in conversations.
So I feel like that's
the best thing.
We're proud of that.
- It's wild how they've got
so much culture capital.
It's such a small island
but so many people.
- And a lot of time when people
refer to the Caribbean
they are actually talking about Jamaica.
I'm sorry.
- Which is offensive to literally every the other island.
- It's the truth.
From where I'm from I know that
a lot of the times when you see
when you talk about Africans
versus Jamaicans,
well, Carribeans.
A lot of times it's Africans versus Jamaicans.
So that's what I've seen.
I'm only going off what I've seen.
Just to clear that up.
(Gena) So next time I see you,
if I'm ever lucky enough to see you again,
right?
- You will.
Don't say it like that.
You will see me again.
- Because we're friends!
Top Boy will be out
in the world.
What are you most excited about
for the show's release?
- I'm just excited for people
to see a UK story
on a worldwide stage.
- Absolutely.
- It's going to be mad
that people from Brazil are
going to know about this now.
People from Bangladesh apparently,
I heard.
Bangladesh?
(laughing)
- Worldwide, baby! We're going international!
- That's what's up!
So, yeah man, I'm just excited for
people to know about our culture,
how we speak as well.
(Gena) This was great.
- Thank you so much for chatting
with me.
- It's alright!
- Michael! Michael Ward, you're going to be famous!
And I can't wait to see it and say
that I spoke to you!
Make sure you accept,
when I follow your Instagram
make sure you're accepting it.
- Maybe, I don't know about that!
(hip hop music)