Summary

• Top Boy features an ensemble of British actors and musicians, with Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson as the main characters.
• Rapper Drake's interest helped renew the show on Netflix in 2017, leading to three more seasons of gripping crime drama.
• Top Boy's cast, including Shone Romulus, Jasmine Jobson, and Simbi Ajikawo, add depth to the show's intense storyline.

Dris and the rest of the characters in Top Boy are played by an ensemble of prolific British actors and musicians who rotate in and out over the five seasons of the English drama. Top Boy is a crime TV show that premiered in 2011 on Channel 4 and lasted two seasons before being canceled in 2013. Despite there being plans for a third season, interest in the project waned. That is until rapper Drake took notice of Top Boy and helped renew the series on Netflix in 2017, leading to three more seasons of the show on the streamer.

Top Boy follows two drug dealers, Dushane and Sully, as they navigate London's criminal underground scene, contending with gang violence and the power and politics of the drug trade. They are the only two characters to have remained in the main cast for all five seasons, but every installment features a cast of characters played by notable actors who also often have secondary careers as musicians. Though Top Boy was never renewed for season 6, the gripping and intense show is worth a watch, thanks largely to its cast, whom viewers may recognize from their previous work.

Ashley Walters As Dushane Hill

One of the co-leads of the show, Ashley Walters plays Dushane Hill in Top Boy. Dushane rises through the ranks of the gang system to become the titular "Top Boy", the best in the game. Walters, a rapper who sometimes performs under the stage name Asher D, is a prolific actor in both British TV and movies. His other most notable television role comes in Bulletproof​​​​​​, where he plays the opposite side of the Dushane coin as NCA Officer Ronnie Pike. Film roles include Antoine in 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and Danny Dorsey in Billionaire Ransom.

Ashley Walters broke into fame as part of the UK garage group So Solid Crew.

Kane Robinson As Gerard "Sully" Sullivan

Gerard "Sully" Sullivan has been Dushane's best friend since childhood, and the pair rose through the ranks of the drug world together. Unlike Dushane, Sully is not as adept at keeping his anger in check and frequently lashes out at others. Sully is played by Kane Robinson, better known by his rap name Kano, a British musician and actor. Top Boy is the only TV role Kano has had, and he's only appeared in four movies, most notably starring in The Kitchen as Izi. Kano has released six albums since 2005 with his latest, Hoodies All Summer, released in 2019.

Shone Romulus As Dris Wright

Shone Romulus plays Dris Wright in seasons 1 through 3 of Top Boy, one of the few characters to appear in the first two seasons and the Netflix revival. Dris is Dushane's number two until he decides to betray his former friends to the police. This role is the biggest of Romulus' career, and he's only appeared in a handful of other productions. In between the original run of Top Boy and the revival, Romulus most notably portrayed D'Angel in The Intent and its sequel The Intent 2: The Come Up, and Jerome in the film No Shade.

Jasmine Jobson As Jacqueline "Jaq" Lawrence

Jaq appears in Top Boy seasons 3 through 5. She was originally Dris' second-in-command who whad a bone to pick with Dushane, but when Dris turned on the gang, she proved herself to be a loyal ally to Dushane and Sully. Jasmine Jobson plays Jaq in Top Boy and has appeared in several British TV shows. Her only notable movie performance comes in Surge as Lily. Jobson's TV performances include Noughts + Crosses as Cara, a starring role in Platform 7 as Lisa, and a one-episode appearance in Dark Heart as Sally Watkins.

Simbi Ajikawo As Shelley

Simbi Ajikawo plays Shelley, Dushane's love interest, introduced in Top Boy season 3. Shelley's main goal is to provide for her daughter in a legitimate way. Ajikawo stars in the series from seasons 3 through 5, and is also a British rapper who performs under the stage name Little Simz, and has released five albums since 2015. She's sporadically appeared in TV series and movies, most notably cameoing as herself in Venom: Let There Be Carnage and playing Adunola, a recurring character in the cast of The Power.

Araloyin Oshunremi As Stefan Tovell

Araloyin Oshunremi appears in Top Boy seasons 3 through 5 as Stefan Tovell, the youngest brother of the Tovell family. Stefan is one of the most innocent characters in the series, longing for a normal family but finding himself wrapped up in the criminal exploits of his older brothers. Oshunremi only began acting in 2022, primarily with credits in short films, but he does have another notable television performance to go along with his role in Top Boy, playing Otis Smith in Heartstopper.

Saffron Hocking As Lauryn Lawrence

Lauryn Lawrence is a recurring character in Top Boy season 3 and becomes a main character in seasons 4 and 5. Lauryn is Jaq's sister and has romantic feelings for Dris at one point in Top Boy. She is played by Saffron Hocking, a British actor, with her lone movie role being Sian in Strangeways Here We Come. Hocking has had several notable TV appearances, however, including in the MCU series Moon Knight as Dylan, Riches as Sasha Bailey, London Kills as Eleanor Kemp, and White Gold as Emma Lyndsey.

Top Boy's Supporting Cast & Characters

Micheal Ward as Jamie Tovell - Jamie Tovell is the oldest brother of the Tovell family who is constantly trying to balance protecting his impressionable siblings with being a good lieutenant to Dushane in seasons 3 and 4. Jamie is played by Micheal Ward, who starred in the TV series The A List as Brendan. His movie roles come in such films as The Old Guard as Lykon, Empire of Light as Stephen, and The Book of Clarence as Judas Iscariot.

Giacomo Mancini as Gemel "Gem" Mustapha - Giacomo Mancini plays Gemel "Gem" Mustapha in Top Boy as a main character in seasons 1 and 2 and a recurring character in season 3. Mancini has only had a few performances since starting his acting career in 2012. His notable film roles include Michelangelo in Pan and Shaun in Anti-Social, while his television performances include brief appearances in The I.T. Crowd and Ripper Street.

Joshua Blisset as Kieron Palmer - Kieron Palmer is a major character in seasons 3 through 5 of Top Boy, and he's played by Joshua Blisset. Kieron is a high-ranking drug dealer within Scully and Dushane's crew and a loyal and stalwart soldier. Blissett has only had a few acting performances since starting in 2018. He appears in the films Obey as Karl, Drawn Out as Jacob Adjekum, Blue Story as Daps, and Pretty Red Dress as Steven. His lone television role besides Top Boy comes in an episode of Young Wallander​​​​​.

Malcolm Kamulete as Ra'Nell Smith - Malcolm Kamulete plays Ra'Nell Smith in seasons 1 and 2 of Top Boy. Ra'Nell is one of the main characters in the original run of the series and a good friend of Gem. Top Boy is one of Kamulete's most notable appearances. He also has a lead role in the 2023 series Champion as Bosco Champion.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Lisa Smith - Lisa Smith is Ra'Nell's mother in Top Boy, and she's played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster in the first two seasons of the show before her character disappears. Duncan-Brewster has appeared in some major blockbuster movies, including Dune as Liet-Kynes, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Senator Pamlo, and Enola Holmes 2 as Moriarty/Mira Troy. On TV, Duncan-Brewster plays Roz Marchetti in Sex Education, Trina Johnson in EastEnders, and Tula Quick in Intergalactic.

Lisa Dwan as Lizzie Kilfauns - Lisa Dwan plays Lizzi Kilfauns, an Irish crime lord and Jamie's lover. Dwan is best known for costarring in the TV series, Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog as Princess Deirdre and for her role in the main cast of Fair City as Zoe Burke.

NoLay as Mandy - Mandy is a guest character in season 2, a recurring character in season 4, and finally a main character in season 5. Mandy is the mother of Dris' daughter Erin in Top Boy. NoLay, like many of the cast members of Top Boy, is a rapper whose real name is Natalie Bianaca Athanasiou. This is NoLay's only acting credit, but she has released eight albums and mixtapes since 2007.

Adwoa Aboah as Becks - Adwoa Aboah appears in seasons 4 and 5 of Top Boy as Becks, who begins a romantic relationship with Jaqs. Aboah is a model and actress who appears in the movie Ghost in the Shell as Lia and in two episodes of Willow as Scorpia.

Watch on Netflix