Top Boy is Aboah’s first acting project outside of her hugely successful modeling career, a move fans of the supermodel and activist may not have seen coming.
Aboah spoke to Newsweek and other press ahead of the Top Boy premiere to spill all the details about her character Jaq, her first acting gig, and representation on screen.
Who Is Becks in Top Boy?
Becks rocks onto the Top Boy scene in Episode 2. Audiences first meet her in the basement of a bar, where she is sipping on a drink waiting on her blind date to arrive. It turns out, Dushane’s (Ashley Walters) no-nonsense dealer Jaq is Becks’ date and Jaq seems genuinely stunned to have been set up with her.
Aboah described Becks as someone who is “curious” and sees her “vulnerability as a massive strength” in conversation with Newsweek and other press.
From the get-go, Becks and Jaq are completely different. Becks is an affluent, middle-class millennial whereas Jaq is a ruthless drug dealer from a local housing estate. However, none of that matters when two people have a true connection.
Aboah reflected: “Although they come from such different worlds, they have so much in common and I think that’s something that we need to keep in mind.
“It’s not like Jaq walks all over Becks, she has her own opinion, she is from London, she might be a bit bougie but she is street smart, like most of us who have been brought up in these big cities and so I love that they brought in a character like Becks because especially in a city like London, it’s a melting pot for different cultures and upbringings and I think although there is to a certain extent a separation, there are lots of us.
“I grew up in West London, although I’ve come from an obviously more privileged background, I have been immersed in so many different kinds of communities and I think also it’s what they have in common, I think it’s good for one to realize that although Jaq comes from this very kind of masculine and quite terrifying and scary world that where she’s constantly kind of putting on this façade an got this kind of front on but that there is a vulnerability that may be Becks can bring out in her and that’s why they connect. Maybe that’s something that Jaq’s been looking for. Maybe she hasn’t had the space to really kind of go into that.”
On joining the cast of Top Boy, Aboah said: “I’m so grateful that this is my first opportunity into the acting world. Just because of how it aligns with me in my personal life, how raw the storytelling is and how authentic and how honest the way in which it represents society now and reflects on what is going on in the world around us.
“What a pleasure, what an honor to be part of that and also the way in which is set up celebrates young, Black British talent and pushes them forward into this worldwide scope, just to be a part of a show that that raises the bar in so many ways.”
At the end of Episode 2, Becks and Jaq are unfortunately victims of a harrowing homophobic attack at the hands of a group of white youths.
The foul-mouthed man and his friends kicked Jaq to the ground, leaving her bloody-mouthed and injured while the others in the group held back Becks from helping her.
Aboah, who is mixed race, said the disturbing scene was “stressful” but what audiences need to see more of.
She explained: “This is not necessarily a situation that I’ve been through, but I was able to tap into certain aspects of my own life, especially like discrimination and everything I kind of looked at when the resurgence of Black Lives Matter happened and me questioning my identity.
“I was able to kind of tap into that in terms of like, what that might look like, that stigma that’s still around, I think Top Boy has done such a good job. I think people can be quite naïve to situations like this and underplay them and say, ‘Oh, well, we’ve moved on so much, things aren’t like this, things aren’t as, as cruel and violent.’ And I think Top Boy is like,’ no, these things really do happen. Let me show you in this very kind of terrifying way.’ And it is stressful to watch it but I mean, that’s what we need to see more of.
“I hope that I’ve been able to tell, this story in an unglorified way, and one that someone can see themselves in and feel like their story is part of something bigger, that people will be able to see it and be like, ‘Okay, I need to pay attention to this, we need to talk about this more.”
Who is Adwoa Aboah?
Adwoa Aboah is a 29-year-old fashion model and designer from London.
In 2017, she graced the cover of British Vogue on the debut issue from new Vogue editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful. Then in 2019, she was one of the 15 women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue by guest editor, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Today, she serves as a British Vogue contributing editor.
She has also appeared on the covers of American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Time Magazine, Allure, Vogue Poland, i-D, and many more. She was named Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council in 2017.
Aboah has also worked with Calvin Klein, Fendi, Alexander Wang, H&M, Burberry, Versace, Armani, and DKNY.
In 2017, she launched Gurls Talk, an organization for young women concerning women’s rights, mental health, addiction, and more. Aboah has spoken out about her past struggles from depression, drug addiction, and a suicide attempt whilst in rehab.
Speaking to Vogue France, Adowa shared: “I keep my feet on the ground, I take time for myself, and I surround myself with people I trust. Gurls Talk helps be stay connected to young people and inspires women around the world.”
Aboah graduated from Brunel University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Modern Drama but Top Boy is her biggest acting role to date.
In the past, she has appeared in short films and music videos. In 2017, she appeared as Lia in the Hollywood adaptation of the Japanese manga, Ghost in the Shell, starring alongside Scarlett Johansson and Michael Pitt.
Aboah also had a leading role in the Sundance-awarded feature film to.get.her by Erica Dunton.
Top Boy is streaming on Netflix now.
