Ashley was born in East London, at a young age, his mother enrolled him in drama and dance classes. However, he wouldn't pursue an acting career until his late teens. In college, he studied performing arts and subsequently trained as a dancer as well as being part of East London Youth Dance Company. In 2011 he played the titular role in a touring production of Romeo and Juliet. He then went on to train at the Oxford School of Drama, graduating in 2014, not before being cast by Brian Helgeland, in the Kray Twins biopic Legend (2015), opposite Tom Hardy A few weeks later he would start filming on The Legend of Tarzan (2016) alongside Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz. In addition to his ever-growing Film and TV career, he is also a very accomplished stage actor. Most recently he appeared at the Royal National Theatre in London, as well as an international tour of 'The Velveteen Rabbit'.