Alessandro Babalola is funny, smart and expressive - a far cry from his menacing Top Boy character, international hitman Haze.
After appearing as the villain to the anti-heroes in Netflix’s revival of the crime drama, Babalola, who already counts himself as an Olivier award winner has found a new level of fame - which he admits has been “anxiety-inducing” at times.
The 27-year-old hails from East London, and grew up not too far from where Top Boy’s fictional yet notorious Summerhouse council estate is supposed to be.
Speaking to Standard Online, Babalola revealed how his first ever on-screen appearance has changed his life.
When asked about the overwhelming reaction to the show, he said: “It’s not hard for me to go outside.”
But seconds later, Babalola appeared to be in disbelief at his own comment. “Actually, I take that back,” he said. “It can be a bit anxiety-inducing if I am frank with you.
“Only because I am sometimes wary of what the response will be, especially because I played a villain, you know? People’s reactions might not be too pleasant. But I haven’t been affected by that too badly, that was all a bit of paranoia.”
“Once I stepped outside of my house and people started yelling out to me. One time, a car stopped beside me and the driver shouted: ‘You did your ting bro.’”
Adding that not every fan fits with Top Boy’s expected demographic, Babalola continued: “Do you know what surprises me? How random they are.
“An older South Asian man, he looked about 71, was staring at me as he was watching Top Boy on his phone.”
Babalola could not be any more different from Haze, interviewing him, Haze’s deep voice is absent and has been replaced with the actor’s natural mid-range and flamboyant expressions.
Agreeing that his Haze's presence commands fear, Babalola laughed as he explained how he built the character.
“I decided to give him a really deep voice,” he said proudly. “A voice you hear and immediately you are thrown off. I needed a voice that made sounds as menacing as they made me look - I’m tall anyways [6ft 3] - but I looked giant on there.
“So in the morning, I used to really warm up my lower range so that when I got on set I could speak from my bass.”
Having previously portrayed Othello on stage and collecting the Outstanding Achievement Olivier for his role in Flesh and Bone, Babalola mused on his most recent milestone - landing his first major screen role with Drake as his “boss.”
His Top Boy character is the villainous antagonist for the show’s anti-heroes, Dushane and Sully, played by Ashley “Asher D” Walters and Kane “Kano” Robinson - two rappers Babalola looked up to as a teenager.
“Working with Ashley and Kano was an educational experience,” he said. “So it has been amazing to be around people that have had such an impact on my worldview.
"On an acting level, you can see them both playing their roles with such naked vulnerability and they are just baring themselves. Of course, I ended up doing the same.
“I was playing a character that would need me to really stretch from my natural persona so I had taken a huge leap from what I actually am.”
The lessons will come in handy as Top Boy marks the start of an exciting screen career for Babalola. He is set to star in a production of Macbeth, a Henry Jackson-helmed short called Stop and Search, and another Netflix series, Cursed, alongside 13 Reasons Why’s Katherine Langford.
Top Boy is on Netflix now
