Interview with "The Wire"'s Michael K. Williams

AE: How much input did you have into the character's development?
MKW: Very little. There were some things I was very keen on. I knew I didn't want Omar to sound like someone from Brooklyn, New York, which is where I'm from. I specifically wanted him to sound and look like an authentic Baltimorean, so I made the decision to learn the dialect, to learn the dress code. I specifically didn't want any Rocawear or Sean John. I didn't want anything too fancy. Well, not to say too fancy, because Baltimore, they have their own sense of style and fashion and what they interpret as fancy. I just wanted to ring very true as a cat that grew up on West Side or East Side in the hoods of Baltimore. I did bring that to the table, but everything else was already on the page. Everything.

AE: Did you have any reservations about playing a gay character?
MKW: Not as an actor. Hell, no. I looked at his sexual orientation as a great layer. I was like, "Cool! No one's gonna see this coming!" It was a way to stand out as an actor, and it gave me a chance to stretch myself and do something I'd never done before. I was happy as a thespian. In fact, I welcomed it.

Now, as a brother growing up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn it was like, after I'd taped the first season, I did worry if my community would receive it well. I didn't want to do any disrespect to that character or the people that character represents outside of his orientation. It meant a lot to me that Omar was respected as the gunman that he was, and as an Old G, as they call it. That's what he would be considered, because he followed the rules of the old school. I didn't want that part of his life to be watered down or overlooked by the people he was representing because of his sexual orientation. That did mean a lot to me. It concerned me.

AE: And what kinds of reactions did you receive from that community?
MKW: You know, it was a thin line to walk, but somehow by the grace of God I walked it properly, because at the end of the day, ten, twenty years from now, when you think back and look at The Wire and think of Omar, the last thing you're going to remember him for is who he slept with. That's the way it should be in real life. Your sexual orientation is such a small part of your personal life. It doesn't make up who you are as a human being, as an individual, or what your legacy will be remembered for, or what they write on your tombstone.

"Here lies Omar Little, an openly gay homothug." That's not gonna read on his tomb or anybody's for that matter. So it went over well. The response in my hood, in my community was outstanding. I was very blessed.

AE: You were even nominated for an NAACP Image Award, weren't you?
MKW: Yeah. That was weird, right? You've got the President of the United States [Dennis Haysbert, The Unit], a surgeon [Isaiah Washington, Grey's Anatomy], a homicide detective [Jesse L. Martin, Law & Order], I think another doctor [Hill Harper, CSI: New York], and then you've got Omar Little. [laughs] I was like, "Wow. Okay. I think we have arrived."

AE: It's not just a gay role, and it wasn’t just an African-American role, it was also a very groundbreaking role. A lot of people have connected to Omar on some level, and many in the gay community are mourning the loss of such a complicated, full-realized gay part. What are your thoughts on the impact Omar has made on viewers?
MKW: My thoughts on the impact of how people received him is one simple thing, his ability to tell the truth and not disguise who and what he was, and not make any excuses for who and what he was. Like Senator Obama said, Omar was his favorite character.

He doesn't agree with or condone Omar's lifestyle on any level, but at the end of the day, he respects his honesty and the complexity of who he dares to be. I think that's what the key thing is with everybody. At the end of the day, you love a stand-up dude. You love an honest dude. You love a man who stands up for what he believes in. You may not agree with it, you may not condone it, but you've got to respect it. I think that was the common factor in everybody and what drew everybody to that character.

AE: You mentioned Senator Obama saying that Omar was his favorite character? What went through your mind, how did you feel when you first heard he'd made that statement?
MKW: [laughs] The first word out of my mouth was, "Wow!" Maybe, "Oh, sh*t!" [laughs] It was humbling. I don't come from an entertainment background. My mom doesn't even watch The Wire, but every TV in her house in every room is on the presidential campaign. She's a huge— well, my whole family, all of us are huge supporters of Obama. The greatest joy was seeing the pride in my mom's eyes when she read that article. She was baffled. She was like, "How did your name seep into this?" [laughs] And I'm just like, "Okay!" It was a great feeling. I was very humbled just to be a part of something someone of his stature would enjoy. It was a good feeling.