![]() He loves absolutely, fearlessly, with his whole entire being.Īfter clicking with that, I understood him completely. You can say what you want to him – it rolls right off – but don’t you dare mess with his people. Omar is sensitive and vulnerable and he loves with his heart on his sleeve. I dug into how he was like me, tapping into what we had in common. The change came when I stopped trying to bring myself to Omar and started doing the opposite. Williams, pictured at Santa Barbara film festival in 2018. There’s nothing remotely you have in common with this guy. So the self-talk got fierce: there is no way you can pull this off. I was 35 years old when I started on The Wire but carried that scared childhood self close he lingered under my skin, just below the surface. He strikes fear into the heart of anyone in his path. He wasn’t written as a type, and I wouldn’t play him as one.Ī new, more potent fear dug its way into my mind: this dude is a straight-up killer. I think my initial fear of Omar’s sexuality came from my upbringing, the community that raised me, and the stubborn stereotypes of gay characters. “Well, baby,” she said, “that’s the life you chose and I support it.” She hadn’t embraced the arts or my interest in them, but to me, that was her version of encouragement. “This character is going to change my career,” I said. I knew from the jump he was going to be a big deal. I remember helping my mother carry groceries to her apartment and telling her about this new role that I booked. You can have the whole neighbourhood yelling: “Omar coming!” and running for cover, but if I walked out there holding that shotgun like I didn’t know what I was doing, I’d get laughed off the screen.Īs for Omar’s homosexuality, it was groundbreaking 20 years ago, and I admit that at first I was scared to play a gay character. Without that detail looking real, nothing else would have flown. Omar had to look like a guy who knew how to use a gun. Concerned about my tiny wrists I asked K– to show me the proper way to hold one. I’d held guns before, but never in preparation to use one, and I didn’t want to be one of those dudes holding their gun all sideways. To play Omar, I tapped into the confidence and fearlessness of people I’d known growing up. He’s gay, doesn’t hide it, and operates as something of the Robin Hood of his community. ![]() Omar Little was described as a guy from Baltimore who robs drug dealers, though he doesn’t sell or use.
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