Life, Career And Styling Lessons From Star Trek Discovery’s
Leading Actor David Ajala.

Interview by Meghann Thorp

Time to read: 6 minutes

David, thanks for taking the time to chat with us, can you introduce yourself?

My name is David Ajala, I’m an actor born and raised in London. My career began partly because of a recommendation from my maths teacher at secondary school who suggested I put my energy into practical use by joining an acting class. He said: ‘Look, try it out, it could be fun, you’ll be popular with the girls’, so straight away, the 14-year-old me was IN! I did acting classes for a while and one day something just clicked. I joined this after school club called the Anna Scher Theatre. These classes were all based on improvisation. What was magic to me was seeing these actors take to the stage, improvising in high stake situations and scenarios. It was here that I caught the acting bug, it’s safe to say, ever since then I’ve been pursuing that same magic.

We recently completed Season 4 of Star Trek Discovery which aired its season finale in February. It was a big season for the show and for my character Cleveland Booker. Cleveland went through a major life changing experience. A lot of people related to that storyline because of how challenging it has been during covid times around the world. One thing that has stood out to me and is worthy of note is the courage displayed by humanity during very challenging circumstances. Our capacity for empathy and love has humbled and inspired me.

Coming up there are a few projects I’m working on including some pre-production preparation involving physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength. I am looking forward to that next chapter, a little nervous – but very excited. There will be a season 5 of Star Trek Discovery but whether my character returns or not is another conversation.

What piece of advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?

My advice for anybody pursuing their dreams or passions is to never underestimate the power of consistency and hard work. Sometimes you don’t have to be the best, you have to be stubborn enough and hang in long enough for someone to give you a chance. You only need one yes - I’m a firm believer in that. It’s very easy to say train hard or keep going and those things are true, but I like to give the advice that helps you to be resilient during challenging times. Keep going and be stubborn enough for someone to give you a chance. I would rather people work from my formula persevering than my "success" because the success is a by-product of being tenacious.

It’s also important to keep the passion alive because the industry by default will tell you otherwise – you’re not good enough, tall enough, sexy enough, big enough, skinny enough, whatever it is and in amongst all of that you have to protect your spirit and keep that magic alive – the magic YOU fell in love with, that’s what you have to protect.

How did this partnership with us develop?

I came to hear of Private White through different stylists I know who are always in the know not just with the latest fashion trends but having an awareness and a wonderful skill of bringing the old school in with the new era. I’m a big fan and quite sentimental when I think about fashion from the 80’s, 70’s, 90’s. I've always been big on wearing UK based brands. Private Whites clothing aesthetics are understated. I love the ethics behind the brand, the finish and attention to detail is wonderful. They have the right level of sophisticated, casual swagger.

PWVC has been in my peripheral for a while and it aligned well with Tom Howard, the founder of Gentleman’s Racer, reaching out. We teamed up with the guys at Jaguar and my good friend, Bridgerton’s finest Martins Imhangbe on a very British road trip in two Jaguar F-Types which started at Clivenden House, travelled through the Peak District (my favourite part) before finished at Cottenham House. It’s a beautiful car, it’s that purr of the engine. Everyone was amazing to work with we had such a good day, the weather was great, and the stars aligned. This all came together because of Martins Imhangbe. He's the plug! We spoke about our love of fashion, cars, clothes and where we were at in our personal lives – it felt very organic...great vibes.

It really was the best of British. Being British means a lot to me. My parents flew over form Nigeria in the 70’s, they had not even half of what they have now. Their idea was to fly to the UK to give their children the best start in life and here we are (there’s 6 of us) I have 5 siblings. I have absolutely benefitted from being raised by Nigerian parents in England. My Nigerian and British heritage is something I celebrate even more when I travel around the world. It’s a beautiful thing. My parents are my heroes.

When we arrived at Cottenham House, it was amazing to see the factory. I was even more impressed by the history of Cottenham House. Let’s just go with the aesthetics, I love how when you arrive at the factory store from the outside it just feels like it’s the epicentre of everything. It really stands out, when you enter you see the exposed brickworks and pipes and the beautiful display of the garments. I was equally impressed by the variety of clothes and the workspace, it seems like a very well-oiled machine.

David, thanks for taking the time to chat with us, can you introduce yourself?

My name is David Ajala, I’m an actor born and raised in London. My career began partly because of a recommendation from my maths teacher at secondary school who suggested I put my energy into practical use by joining an acting class. He said: ‘Look, try it out, it could be fun, you’ll be popular with the girls’, so straight away, the 14-year-old me was IN! I did acting classes for a while and one day something just clicked. I joined this after school club called the Anna Scher Theatre. These classes were all based on improvisation. What was magic to me was seeing these actors take to the stage, improvising in high stake situations and scenarios. It was here that I caught the acting bug, it’s safe to say, ever since then I’ve been pursuing that same magic.

We recently completed Season 4 of Star Trek Discovery which aired its season finale in February. It was a big season for the show and for my character Cleveland Booker. Cleveland went through a major life changing experience. A lot of people related to that storyline because of how challenging it has been during covid times around the world. One thing that has stood out to me and is worthy of note is the courage displayed by humanity during very challenging circumstances. Our capacity for empathy and love has humbled and inspired me.

Coming up there are a few projects I’m working on including some pre-production preparation involving physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength. I am looking forward to that next chapter, a little nervous – but very excited. There will be a season 5 of Star Trek Discovery but whether my character returns or not is another conversation.

What piece of advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?

My advice for anybody pursuing their dreams or passions is to never underestimate the power of consistency and hard work. Sometimes you don’t have to be the best, you have to be stubborn enough and hang in long enough for someone to give you a chance. You only need one yes - I’m a firm believer in that. It’s very easy to say train hard or keep going and those things are true, but I like to give the advice that helps you to be resilient during challenging times. Keep going and be stubborn enough for someone to give you a chance. I would rather people work from my formula persevering than my "success" because the success is a by-product of being tenacious.

Do you have a life motto?

I’ll share this quote with you from Erin Harrison. There are two voices to it. I believe inside of us, there are two voices. There’s a voice of faith and there is a voice of fear. Fear can help to strengthen your faith, it really can.

The first line is: "What if I fall."

The other line is: "Oh but my darling, what if you fly?"

I absolutely live by that. You are acknowledging the two. I’m not saying don’t be fearful, we are all afraid of things, acknowledge it but channel your energy in the right place...fly.

How did this partnership with us develop?

I came to hear of Private White through different stylists I know who are always in the know not just with the latest fashion trends but having an awareness and a wonderful skill of bringing the old school in with the new era. I’m a big fan and quite sentimental when I think about fashion from the 80’s, 70’s, 90’s. I've always been big on wearing UK based brands. Private Whites clothing aesthetics are understated. I love the ethics behind the brand, the finish and attention to detail is wonderful. They have the right level of sophisticated, casual swagger.

PWVC has been in my peripheral for a while and it aligned well with Tom Howard, the founder of Gentleman’s Racer, reaching out. We teamed up with the guys at Jaguar and my good friend, Bridgerton’s finest Martins Imhangbe on a very British road trip in two Jaguar F-Types which started at Clivenden House, travelled through the Peak District (my favourite part) before finished at Cottenham House. It’s a beautiful car, it’s that purr of the engine. Everyone was amazing to work with we had such a good day, the weather was great, and the stars aligned. This all came together because of Martins Imhangbe. He's the plug! We spoke about our love of fashion, cars, clothes and where we were at in our personal lives – it felt very organic...great vibes.

It really was the best of British. Being British means a lot to me. My parents flew over form Nigeria in the 70’s, they had not even half of what they have now. Their idea was to fly to the UK to give their children the best start in life and here we are (there’s 6 of us) I have 5 siblings. I have absolutely benefitted from being raised by Nigerian parents in England. My Nigerian and British heritage is something I celebrate even more when I travel around the world. It’s a beautiful thing. My parents are my heroes.

When we arrived at Cottenham House, it was amazing to see the factory. I was even more impressed by the history of Cottenham House. Let’s just go with the aesthetics, I love how when you arrive at the factory store from the outside it just feels like it’s the epicentre of everything. It really stands out, when you enter you see the exposed brickworks and pipes and the beautiful display of the garments. I was equally impressed by the variety of clothes and the workspace, it seems like a very well-oiled machine.

What is your favourite garment from this season?

I really like The Wax Twin Track because it has the right balance of being a gentleman’s jacket but also egalitarian. It’s a lovely piece. I love the copper detailing on the back rivets. Funnily enough, I’m completing a renovation on my house, and what I’m incorporating is gold and copper. When I was in the factory store, I was looking at the exposed brick and saw how it complemented the copper, so I'm using that idea as inspiration for one of the rooms in my house.

For people who ride motorbikes it’s ideal for them because the jacket has the centre placket which is a nice added functional detail. To have that there you can have more protective body armour underneath. It’s clever. I’m a big fan of Barbour jackets but I’ve never found the right one that is warm enough and has a bit of weight to it. When I saw this version, I knew it was the one, then I tried it on and that sealed the deal.

What is your favourite garment from this season?

I really like The Wax Twin Track because it has the right balance of being a gentleman’s jacket but also egalitarian. It’s a lovely piece. I love the copper detailing on the back rivets. Funnily enough, I’m completing a renovation on my house, and what I’m incorporating is gold and copper. When I was in the factory store, I was looking at the exposed brick and saw how it complemented the copper, so I'm using that idea as inspiration for one of the rooms in my house.

For people who ride motorbikes it’s ideal for them because the jacket has the centre placket which is a nice added functional detail. To have that there you can have more protective body armour underneath. It’s clever. I’m a big fan of Barbour jackets but I’ve never found the right one that is warm enough and has a bit of weight to it. When I saw this version, I knew it was the one, then I tried it on and that sealed the deal.

Apparently, I don’t watch enough TV or film for an actor, it’s embarrassing the number of films I haven't seen. That said, I do love a bit of reality TV. I’m currently watching Young, Famous and African on Netflix. I’m really enjoying it.