Netflix's superhero show The Umbrella Academy is known for reinventing itself every season. Based on the comic book series by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, the show follows a dysfunctional family of heroes as they stop the end of the world (after usually bringing it about themselves) in a new setting every season. Each new setting also brings several new cast members to The Umbrella Academy, and one of the season 3 additions is a familiar face from the HBO show Euphoria.
Javon "Wanna" Walton joined The Umbrella Academy in a secret role earlier this year, soon after his fan-favorite character Ashtray met a tragic fate in Euphoria's season 2 finale. His fun character lets fans see a new side of the 15-year-old boxer and actor. Here's what we know about the young star.
He's best known for playing Ashtray on 'Euphoria.'
The 15-year-old star was already a big name in the boxing world when he got his big acting break, playing Fezco's younger brother Ashtray on the HBO hit Euphoria. Walton shared the story of his casting in a Seventeen video, saying that he got the chance to audition after an appearance on The Steve Harvey Show for his boxing. He added that he got the role after only one audition, saying "I was the only kid pronouncing the drug names right."
He also said that being cast on Euphoria was the biggest moment of his career, and that getting the role of Ashtray was what made him want to continue acting.
He's a junior boxing champion.
In the Seventeen video, Walton says that he's a boxer first, adding that he's been training in the sport since he was four and "punching couch pillows since [he] was two." He also said that he's logged over 80 fights and hopes to go pro when he turns eighteen.
He's said in multiple interviews (and his Instagram bio) that his dream is to be a world champion, and he's currently training for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The sport's also a family affair; his dad, DJ Walton, is his trainer, and his older sister is also a boxer.
His 'Umbrella Academy' role is a big surprise.
Walton's new character Stan is introduced in the first episode of season 3, when time jumper Lila (Ritu Arya) brings him to meet up with her sort of ex, Diego Hargreeves, a.k.a. Number 2 (David Castañeda). It turns out the kid is the couple's son, with Lila saying that she's raised him for twelve years and now it's Diego's turn, before abruptly leaving. Stan's around for the rest of the season, as Diego and some of the other Umbrellas look after him while trying to solve another apocalypse.
Walton's two roles couldn't be more different. While Ashtray was stoic and calm, Stan is a curious, troublemaking pre-teen who enjoys playing with lighters, Molotov cocktails, and harpoons, with unfortunate results. He does get to help out Diego when the two run into some trouble. It eventually turns out that there's more to the story than Lila let on, but Stan and Diego get a lot of bonding time.
He's a twin.
Walton has a large, tight-knit family. He's a fraternal twin, though fans have said that he and his brother Jaden look near identical (Jaden even served as a stand-in during season 3's filming). In addition to Jaden and his older sister Jayla, Walton also has a younger brother, Daelo, who even played a younger version of Ashtray on Euphoria. Their father DJ sometimes posts pics of the whole, talented family on Instagram.
Fun Fact: Javon Walton's twin brother, Jaden, doubled as his stand-in while playing Stan in Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy pic.twitter.com/PI0wSFzDrMJune 29, 2022
He's close friends with Angus Cloud.
Though it's unclear whether Walton will return to Euphoria for season 3, he remains super close with Cloud, who plays his TV big brother, Fezco. In a Page Six interview, the star said he's closest to Cloud out of all the Euphoria cast, and that they have a similar big-brother, little-brother relationship. "We FaceTime often. Me and him are really close," he added.
