Which Ride or Die actor's first lead film role was in Ill Manors?

Ed Skrein was the Ride or Die actor whose first lead film role was in Ill Manors.

Before acting, Skrein was known as a rapper and released music under the name The Dinnerlady P.I.M.P. His first screen appearance came in Plan B’s short film Michelle, which also connected him with filmmaker and musician Ben Drew.

Drew, better known as Plan B, cast Skrein in his 2012 feature debut, Ill Manors. Skrein played Edward “Ed” Richardson in the gritty London crime drama, which follows several interconnected characters over seven days. Because the film uses an ensemble structure, viewers sometimes remember Riz Ahmed’s Aaron as its central figure, but Skrein’s role is still widely described as his first lead role.

Skrein later became internationally recognizable as Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones, Frank Martin Jr. in The Transporter: Refueled, and Ajax in Deadpool. Those later franchise roles can obscure the importance of Ill Manors as his breakthrough feature.