Ashley Walters 'never thought in a million years' he would receive Emmy nomination

Ashley Walters "never thought in a million years" that he would receive an Emmy nomination.

The British actor and rapper reached a new level of fame earlier this year with his portrayal of Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in the critically acclaimed Netflix drama Adolescence.

His performance in the four-part series recently earned him his first-ever Emmy nomination, a milestone the Top Boy star has admitted came as a complete surprise.

Reflecting on the honour, Walters told Variety, "I've been doing this for so, so long, but I've never really felt like an awards sort of person. My name's not usually thrown in the hat. So I never thought in a million years I'd be getting an Emmy nomination. It's crazy, it's nuts, it's surreal. Man, this boy from Peckham!"

As a direct result of the show's success, Walters was contacted by Steven Spielberg's office and cast in M. Night Shyamalan's forthcoming supernatural romantic thriller, Remain, as well as a television role that has yet to be announced.

"They (TV producers) were like, 'We wrote this part for you off the back of your (Adolescence) character,'" he recalled.

The star then shared that when he told Shyamalan about his upcoming TV role, the Signs director simply told him, "Don't do more TV, you're a movie star now."

Walters is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie alongside his Adolescence co-star Owen Cooper. At 15, Cooper is the youngest nominee in the history of his category.

The 2025 Emmy Awards will take place on 14 September in Los Angeles.