DEEP DIVE

Javon Walton, Euphoria‘s Child Drug Dealer, Is Actually a Champion Boxer

Not enough people are talking about the pint-sized drug dealer on Euphoria.

June 30, 2019

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

Euphoria is one of those shows where, if you can believe it, each episode is somehow more disturbing than the last. The series premiere grappled with graphic depictions of drug overdoses, the circulation of revenge porn, and sexual assault; the second episode had a record number of 30 penises shown on screen. Each consecutive episode that premieres on HBO after those first two will probably shock viewers even more than they could ever expect to be shocked, and cause an uproar on social media or with the Parents Television Council.

But one aspect of Euphoria that not enough people seem to be talking about is Ashtray, the 14-year-old drug dealer with face tattoos (who actually looks a lot closer to something like ten years old). Viewers are expected to take him 100 percent seriously, without questioning why there is a child selling (figuratively) face-melting drugs from a secret room in the back of a California gas station. Ashtray and his brother, Fezco, are the plug for Rue (played by Zendaya), an addict who spends a summer in rehab and grapples with sobriety. They have good intentions, but Rue becomes increasingly embroiled in drama and eventually relapses in their presence when she is essentially forced to try Fentanyl.

In real life, the actor who plays Ashtray is much more innocent than the pint-sized dealer: he’s an impressive boxing champion and gymnast named Javon “Wanna” Walton from Georgia.

At 12 years old, Walton can already check off “compete in the Junior Olympics” and “star in a commercial with The Rock” off his bucket list, too.

As for the face tattoos, those are obviously drawn on Walton’s mug with marker instead of permanently etched with ink.

Whether or not the inclusion of a drug dealing tween into the plot of Euphoria is an accurate representation of what goes on in Simi Valley, at least Walton is an actual member of Gen-Z in a show that is all about chronicling the horrors of being a teen right now, and has the Drake seal of approval.