The Wire: A Chat with Michael Kenneth Williams

Michael Kenneth Williams plays Omar Little, an urban Superman-type character on the HBO drama, The Wire. A gay, shotgun-toting stick-up man, Omar lives by a strict moral code, rarely uses profanity and never deviates from his rule of only robbing drug dealers.

As the fifth and final season draws to a close, will Omar finally take down Marlo, avenging the death of his old blind friend? Earlier this month, Omar crashed through a sliding door and leapt off a balcony, fleeing an ambush by Marlo's henchmen. Will Omar continue to elude Marlo and his crew, despite his increasingly failing leg? Will Marlo enlist the help of the Greeks to stop Omar?

I asked Michael Kenneth Williams about what will ultimately happen to Omar but got nothing.

Williams is native of Flatbush, Brooklyn, the youngest of 10 kids, a professional dancer and choreographer (featured in "Secret" by Madonna among other videos), and an all around nice guy. And he's definitely not a snitch.

1) What was it like working on 'Trapped in the Closet' with R. Kelly?

It was a blast. First of all, I had an incredible amount of fun working with R. Kelly -- he's an amazing dude. He's very hospitable and incredibly talented so we had a ball. It was a first chance for me to make fun of myself and be light-hearted -- normally I play very dramatic roles and it was fun to see the other side of myself. He helped me to see my comedic side, I guess.

But you know, I don't know what it is about "Trapped in the Closet" but it's kind of like a family movie. I can't tell you how many times my mother's watched it. Whenever people come over, she's always popping the DVD in, saying 'Hey, look at this, it's hysterical.' My mother is not really big on The Wire but she loves "Trapped in the Closet."

2) Are there any similarities between you and the character Omar?

In some ways, yeah, we are similar. What makes Omar so volatile is that he's vulnerable but I share his sensitivity with him. I've never held a gun in my life though before I walked on the set of The Wire so that's one difference.

Omar is based on the life and times of a gentleman by the name of Donnie Anderson, who also writes for The Wire and acts on the show. He's definitely an 'old 'G', as we say in the street, but he's since turned his life around. He's done time in prison and he very blessed to be alive and be with his family. So he also really jumped out of the window too and survived? Yes he did. If you ask him what he was going on in his mind when he did it, he'd say 'I wasn't really thinking, I was just trying to escape from some "hot ones" at the time.'

3) Will The Greeks to help Marlo take down Omar?

I can't say if that's what is going to happen because it's all coming straight from the minds of David Simon and Ed Burns -- they write really big twists and whatever it is that you least expect, is what you expect. But what you said is a definitely a possibility but I don't know.

Comments

[psantillana]

Omar is Obama's favorite Wire character, which of course produces tons of snark from the hipsters who decry it as "too obvious" a choice! Meanwhile, I'm still slackjawed that a guy who is about to be president even watches/likes The Wire.

[bbergfoto]

Regarding only this aspect of The Wire:Brother Mouzon reemerges and "protects" Omar & takes out Marlo; greeks stay neutral and Avon Barkdale reclaims his postition as the series fades to black. Other opinions?

[StephenSmoliar]

Those of us with HBO On Demand know but shall not say!

[CitizenE]

A role of a lifetime. At the end of the day, Omar Little is the most riveting character of the huge cast of characters that inhabit The Wire, which hands down is the best television show ever.