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As you’re surely aware, Top Boy made its long-awaited return to Netflix last week and Twitter hasn’t really spoken about much else. As with pretty much every season, it ended on a massive, jaw-dropping cliffhanger, but there was another major talking point, one that’s continued since the show first came to Netflix in 2019: where is Ra’Nell?
Ra’Nell, played by Malcolm Kamulete, was the star of the first two seasons when it was on Channel 4 and it was through him that we were introduced to the world of Summerhouse and the lives of its residents. In fact, it was through Ra’Nell’s that we were first introduced to Dushane and Sully, and it’s through his mum Lisa that we see a lot of the societal neglect and the approaching gentrification that threatens the estate.
However, when the series hit Netflix, Kamulete was conspicuously absent. Naturally, rumours were rampant online (did Ra’Nell grow up to become Modie? Did he follow in the footsteps of Leon and become a social worker? Or is he due to return to get revenge on Sully and Dushane?). Putting that all to rest, Ashley Walters and Kano sat down with Robert Bruce for his Capital Xtra show this week and we finally got something approaching an explanation (from 17.05).
Although Walters doesn’t go into too much detail, he explains that they approached Kamulete about returning, but he wasn’t interested and instead wanted to focus on a career in football.
“Look, the fact is, a lot of people that have come into the show that have never acted before have then gone on to be like ‘Nah, I don’t want to act anymore. It’s not what I wanted,’” said Walters. “A lot of the original cast that you saw, like Malcolm—who played Ra’Nell—he wanted to play football. He was like, ‘Nah, it’s not for me. I’m going to do this or whatever.’”
So that’s that. A little mundane compared to the myths and legends that have been doing the rounds over the years, but sometimes truth is actually more boring than fiction. Fans of the show still miss him, though.
