Bubbles and Omar Dish on ‘The Wire’

Earlier this week, at the after-party for the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway benefit, we cornered Michael K. Williams and Andre Royo to grill them about the upcoming season of The Wire. Williams, who plays Omar, wouldn’t say much, although he did tell us how he got his trademark scar. “I got it in a barroom brawl, on my 25th birthday, many, many moons ago.� What did you do? we asked. “I zigged when I should have zagged; that’s what I did.�

Royo, though, who plays lovable junkie Bubbles on The Wire, was a little more voluble. “So, this season you got a lot of good questions answered. You got Omar versus Marlo. What the fuck gonna happen? You got McNulty back in the game, back where he belong, in Homicide. And then you got Carcetti. Is he gonna be a great mayor, or he gonna be talkin’ shit?� We asked him if he’d done any hard drugs to research his role, and he said, “Well, you know, I thought about it. There was a lot of beer.� When he learned he’d been cast as a junkie, he says, “I saw Sam Jackson in Jungle Fever, and I saw Pookie [Chris Rock] in New Jack City. I did get nervous ‘cause you always wanna put your signature on a character, make it better.� Still, he decided against doing hands-on research. “I knew if I really were a crazy Method actor, I might be good for one take and one take only.� —Ben Kawaller

Hear more from Royo and Williams at our complete coverage of the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway.