So Solid star explains gun role

[Malicious Intent]

So Solid star explains gun role

A So Solid Crew member, who was jailed for carrying a loaded weapon, has taken the lead role in a movie about UK gun culture "to warn fans of its dangers".

Ashley Walters, known as singer Asher D in the UK garage act, stars as a young offender in gritty film Bullet Boy.

"It's very realistic. I wanted to hand something back to people influenced by things I did in the past," he said.

Screened at the London Film Festival from Monday, Bullet Boy will be released nationwide in February.

'No glamorising'

Two years ago Walters was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders' institution for possessing an illegal firearm.

His conviction followed the cancellation of So Solid Crew's 2001 tour, after a string of violent incidents at their concerts.

Walters, who previously appeared in TV drama The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and movie Born Romantic, chose the role because it was "not just another film about black people and guns".

"Anything I did could have made things worse for me because I had just come out of prison and could have been accused of glamorising gun culture," the 21-year-old said.

"But Bullet Boy looks at the many ways people can unintentionally find themselves involved in gun crime.

"It shows how quickly things can escalate when you feel peer pressure, pride and the need to protect your territory."

It was director Saul Dibb's first movie, having previously made documentaries for BBC and Channel 4 television.

"When people think of gun culture they usually think in terms of gangs, but it is not really like that," said Mr Dibb.

"This is a film about kids growing up in a world where there are guns around. It is just a fact of life for them.

"While similar stories have been told in America, the subject has never been tackled head on in British cinema, where we are often 10 or 15 years behind."

Walters hoped his So Solid Crew links would be to the film's benefit, rather than dissuading people fearful of the act's notoriety.

"There is a risk of violence when you go anywhere, not just to a So Solid concert," he said.

"There are outbreaks of violence at football matches but no-one suggests banning them.

"People can think what they like, as long as they see the film for what it is - a reflection of what's really going on."

Source: BBC News