The Truth About Euphoria's Javon Walton

The Season 2 finale of "Euphoria" drew in a whopping 6.6 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After it aired on HBO, some fans on social media were up in arms about the fate of a sweet, small but mighty character — Ashtray. The barely-teenaged, Glock-slinging, tattooed drug dealer is played by Georgia-native Javon "Wanna" Walton. 

Like with the finale of the popular show's first season, which left fans needing an explanation, some Twitter users were divided about how the second season wrapped. One's thing for sure — Walton had people talking about his acting chops. "Javon Walton's work as Ashtray is fantastic," a fan tweeted after the dramatic episode. "He was the highlight of the finale for me. A child always in fight mode and had to be scared to death during those last moments."

Since the popular Zendaya-led and Drake-produced series began airing in 2019, Walton, like many of his co-stars, has amassed millions of followers on Instagram. But he doesn't just post photos posing with famous friends and co-stars; the young star also shares an inside look at the plethora of passions he's made into careers.

Here, we'll take a look at everything we know about the baby-faced, tough kid who plays Ashtray on screen.

Actor, boxer, AND gymnast? Call Javon Walton a triple-threat because, in addition to his acting roles, he's training with the hopes of competing in the 2024 Olympics. He'd do so with a focus in men's boxing and gymnastics, per PopSugar.

Walton became interested in boxing at an early age (via Men's Health). He was likely inspired by his father DJ Walton who coaches boxing and is the founder of the performance-based brand, Onward Athletics. At just 8 years old, he was a Junior Olympics contender in the sport. By 11, he was already a state champion in boxing and gymnastics. To achieve such accolades at a young age, Walton's day-to-day life is heavily focused on training.

"In the morning, I'll do a little bit of boxing, get a little bit of schoolwork done," Walton told Whistle Sports. "After that I'll go to T and T, which is trampoline and tumbling. At night, more boxing or I'll do gymnastics."

In fact, his triumphant attitude towards dominating his sports of choice influenced his endearing nickname "Wanna," which his father gave him. DJ told Men's Health the nickname was derived from his son's go-getter attitude and his inability to sit still. He clearly was unstoppable even as a toddler. 

The name stuck, and the rest is history. 

In October 2017, Javon Walton appeared on Steve Harvey's talk show, "Steve" to show off some prodigious and gravity-defying skills. After a couple minutes of boxing with his dad, Walton did a handstand on the host's desk and dismounted into a backflip in the middle of his conversation with Harvey. The move received a standing ovation.

"Let me tell you something; he nice," Harvey said, seemingly taken aback. "If you 11, and you got that balance, them hands, that quickness, at 11? You nice."

PopSugar reported that when casting director Jennifer Venditti saw this particular television appearance, she was dazzled by Walton and reached out to his dad to ask if the pre-teen would audition for "Euphoria." Even though Walton had no acting experience other than an Under Armour commercial with fellow actor-athlete Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (via YouTube), Venditti saw something in him. Now, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Ashtray.

Two years passed between Seasons 1 and 2 of "Euphoria," so it's safe to say the January 2022 premiere had fans at the edge of their seats. The premiere gave viewers a glimpse into Ashtray's past. The episode centers around Fezco (Angus Cloud) and his drug-dealing grandmother Marie (Kathrine Narducci). It revealed how she acts as his caretaker and trained him to become her business partner (via Decider). In the process, she teaches him everything he knows about the ins and outs of the business.

One day, a customer leaves her infant for Marie to babysit and never returns. From that moment on, Marie and Fez treat the boy as the "unofficially adopted brother." Marie gives him the moniker "Ashtray" after the toddler attempts to eat her cigarette butts (via Variety). The boy who portrays the younger version of Javon Walton's character is none other than his real-life brother, Daelo Jin Walton.

"After I got the [Euphoria] gig and all that, my baby brother, he really wanted to do the scene and he ended up doing the scene really well and was playing Ashtray and he killed it," Javon told Complex. "It was super funny because he was saying the drug names and all of that, but he really wanted to be like baby Ashtray. We sent it to Sam [Levinson], and he ended up loving Daelo for that part."

It obviously wasn't a major obstacle for Javon Walton to land more acting roles despite his minimal experience. After "Euphoria" debuted, he started to get on the map in the entertainment industry.

In 2020, Walton was cast in the Amazon Prime Video thriller "Utopia." He plays Grant, a street-smart and lovable kid navigating a science-fiction reality. He co-starred with John Cusack, Sasha Lane, and Rainn Wilson before the show got canceled after one season (via Collider). The same year, Walton was cast alongside Sylvester Stallone in the thriller "Samaritan," which is set for a summer 2022 release (via Deadline). In 2021, Walton voiced the legendary character Pugsley Addams in the animated sequel of "The Addams Family 2" (via IMDb).

Switching back to his television roots, it was announced that Walton was going to be a regular on Netflix's drama "The Umbrella Academy" for the show's upcoming third season (via Collider). Upon joining the cast, Walton told Esquire: "My character though, people aren't going to be expecting that. People will think I'm going to be part of the other academy and all this other stuff. But it's something that people aren't really expecting."

Walton has a cool 5.3 million Instagram followers, and he allows fans to get an inside look at his commitment to training, behind-the-scenes set content, and wholesome family photos on the app.

In an interview with ScreenRant about his experience working on "The Addams Family 2," Walton spoke about the importance of his own family. "That's what I love so much about 'The Addams Family' too; the family bond between them, because they show that it's great to be different and unique," he says. "It's special how they also show that family comes before anything. And that's what I believe too; I [put] family first."

It may come as a surprise to some that Javon has a twin brother named Jaden Walton. Spoiler alert: They look completely alike. The Walton twins must both carry the athleticism gene because, per his personal Instagram account, Jaden is a proud baseball player. In fact, the whole family seems to lead an active, competitive lifestyle. The oldest sibling and only girl in the Walton family — Jayla Walton — also resembles her little brothers. Aside from being an athlete, her Instagram bio says she is a model and actor.