By Marona Lowe

Tapping into the HBO series The Wire during its first season, you might be reminded of the David Simon television projects Homicide and The Corner. If the familiarity of the drama lulls you to expect that Simon will merely revamp the Luther Mahoney/Junior Bunk storyline from his Homicide days and sprinkle it with The Corner’s scenes of drug addiction, then you’ll miss the nuanced originality of The Wire’s take on the drug wars and the fine actors that bring the series to life. Not to be missed is Michael K. Williams and his portrayal of the stone-cold killer and bandit Omar.

Williams infuses Omar with a ruthless humanity that rings true and is rarely seen in big or small screen portrayals of gangsters. Williams delivers his lines in tones that at times chill the spine with their vehemence and expresses his actions with a mien and gait reflective of a hard knock life.

A Brooklyn native, Williams acknowledges that his environs contributed to his portrayal of Omar “I was raised in a neighbor that produces a lot of that mentality…I may not be like Omar, but I know a lot of them.”

Chatting with Williams in a recent interview, it’s remarkable that such a warm, friendly person convincingly evokes dread as Omar. Williams notes that he had to downplay his friendly demeanor and detach himself from the family atmosphere of The Wire’s set.

“[On set,] I say my quick hellos and stay in my trailer as long as I can,” explains Williams. In addition, Williams listens to theme appropriate music to put himself in the frame of mind to convey to audiences that Omar takes no prisoners. “I listened to a lot of Biggie Smalls, his first album Ready to Die. [For scenes dealing] with Omar’s feelings for Brandon, I listened to a lot of sad love songs about love lost and project[ed] that into the character.”

“When I come out of my trailer, I’m already in full character. I don’t wait for the cameras to roll,” he notes. Williams further explains that he will hover on a corner of the set for about half an hour, attempting to become one with his surroundings. So much so that production assistants have innocently questioned his place on set.

“They think I’m just a kat on the street. They feel the griminess,” Williams recalls.

Smiling, he adds, “That’s when I know I’m in character.”

For Williams, Omar is more than your run-of-the-mill natural born killer.

“Omar is a double-edged sword. You look at him and you see this hard exterior. You see his ruthlessness and at the same time you see him crying in the morgue over his dead lover’s body.” And portraying this character has given Williams the opportunity to skillfully express a wide range of emotions in front of the camera.

Williams’ diligence and dexterity has yielded dividends on and off set. The Wire’s creators found Williams’ work so compelling that they lengthened Omar’s appearance during the first season. Viewers have also warmed to Williams’ character – a fact that amazes Williams since Omar wasn’t designed to be a central figure in the drama. Nevertheless, Williams is grateful for his blessings.

“I didn’t expect the overwhelming admiration…In fact, I even toyed with the idea � that a lot of my brothers and men in general would have a problem because [the character] is homosexual. But that’s not even mentioned.”

Williams uses the praise to aid his critical analysis. Like other professionals, Williams reviews tape. He examines The Wire’s episodes to determine the aspects of his performance that draws fans to the character and funnels that energy into other roles.

Regardless of whether those roles are tough guys, Williams promises to be selective, do the necessary research and work his craft to the best of his ability.

“I know these characters and I know that they are not all bad guys. I know their heart and I know how they got like that�I see the traps. I [can] use my craft not to exploit them, but to represent them and show the world how they got that way,” he emphasizes.

Before Williams answered the call to act, he had success as a dancer and choreographer, working on music videos for George Michael and Madonna, among others. In fact, it was Williams’ decision to work for Madonna that led to his feature film debut.

Slated to begin a 3-week tour of Germany with another artist, Williams was cast for a Madonna video. Williams’ attempt to resolve the scheduling conflict with tour management was met with resistance and Williams was fired from the tour. A few weeks after the Madonna video shoot while watching television at home, Williams’ phone rings. Tupac Shakur had seen his headshot and wanted him to play his younger brother in Bullet. “That started the ball rolling,” Williams recalls.

Relying on his experience from music video productions, Williams immersed himself into Bullet. A keen believer in “taking the cotton out of your ears and putting it in your mouth,” Williams followed Pac’s example while on the set of Bullet and remembers Shakur’s graciousness and willingness to guide him through the film. On the heels of Bullet, Williams starred in Matt Mehern’s independent film Mugshot and then went into the theater, training under Ellen Stewart at La Mama Theater and Tunde Samuels at the National Black Theater.

Currently, Williams is affiliated with a theater company based out of Philadelphia called Theater for New Generation, which is run by Mel Williams and Ray Thomas – the latter Williams’ acting coach. Williams, who loves working in film and television, has a particular affection for the stage. For Williams, “Every night is a different performance. Every time you say [your lines], it’s something new…Theater is like church to me because it’s very spiritual.”

For now, Williams is busy reviewing projects and developing a concept for an Off-Off Broadway play. Content with his life in New York, Williams will manage his career from the East coast, traveling west if a gig requires it. Speaking prospectively of his art, Williams is grounded, “If I [can] be known for 10 may be 15 projects that were groundbreaking and that people study long after I’m gone. I’ll be happy with that.”