MICHEAL WARD

IS ON TOP…

If young actors worry about typecasting, they should take a lesson from Micheal Ward. “I just know that won’t happen to me,” says the 22-year-old British breakout star from the Drake-produced revival of Top Boy. Now heading up intense urban drama Blue Story, he’s armed with ambition. “I’m very versatile,” he grins. “I believe in my ability.” How’s that for confidence?

Do you see Blue Story as something similar to Kidulthood or Adulthood?

Kidulthood and Adulthood were good and they did what they did at that time, but Blue Story is a lot grittier. I’d compare Blue Story to Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society because those are movies that people never forget from the urban world. It’s so gritty, and you realise these are the things that are going on.

Were you aware of the gang-related ‘postcode wars’ growing up?

I grew up in Essex so I never got to see that side of it, the postcode wars. But as social media started to grow, you could go on YouTube and see the impact it has – Peckham vs Brixton, for instance. I used to see that on YouTube a lot, and that’s when I started listening to that kind of music. You can see it’s a different world.

Your musician director Rapman signed up with Jay-Z’s company. Has he introduced you yet?

Not yet! But one day, eh? He’s with the Roc Nation now, which is a big, big accomplishment. It’s only right, you get to be rubbing shoulders with legends like that. It’s a dream, really.

What impact has Top Boy had on your career?

Huge. It changed my life forever. Literally. There’s no way of dialling it down. Top Boy has made me a star. Literally. I don’t even know what to say. Top Boy has changed my life. That’s the impact it had. There’s no going back now.