Celeb Row

There are actors who are fans of basketball and then there are actors who have fans in basketball. Put Michael Kenneth Williams in the latter category. His portrayal of stick-up man Omar Little in the HBO series The Wire, set in Baltimore's inner city, has earned him a legion of NBA admirers. He will soon be seen in the new NBC series The Philanthropist, playing right-hand man to the title character. Williams also has five films scheduled for released this year, including Brooklyn's Finest and The Road. Just because he's busy doesn't mean he doesn't have time to check out some hardwood action. So players, pass some tickets his way.

You have some very big fans among NBA players. Have you ever encountered any of them face to face?
I throw the love right back at them. I'm real good friends with Carmelo Anthony. He's like my little brother. I've hung out a few times with Kevin Garnett. I'm real close with these brothers.

President Barack Obama is also a fan. Have you met him?
I'm a bigger fan of his. I actually campaigned for him. I did most of my legwork in Gary, IN. I did the primary and I did back to school voter registration. We met in Harrisburg, PA and took pictures. He met my family. My mom, I think she coined the phrase Obama Mama. She's the first one I heard say that.

Why do you think NBA players love The Wire and name Omar as their favorite character?
First of all, I think the reason the NBA community embraced The Wire is because the whole phenomenon of The Wire is an underdog story. It's a part of hip-hop culture. NBA and hip-hop, there's a love affair there.

You're a Brooklyn native and playground ball is very much part of life in Brooklyn. Did you play growing up?
I sucked. I played handball. I liked a little baseball. I ran track for a minute. But that was about it in sports. I was real clumsy.

The Wire was set in Baltimore. What do you like about the character of that city?
First and foremost, [it's got] some of the best food in the countryÑhands down. It's a bar town, but not sloppy bars with beer smell all over the floor. The swagger of the city is real. It's special and uniqueÑespecially in the black community. They have their own style of music, it's called Baltimore club. I'm doing a documentary on that right now chronicling that whole genre of music.

You worked with Tupac Shakur. Obviously, he had a good deal of renown and popularity when he was alive, but now 12 ½ years after he passed there is still a burning fascination with his work. What impact did he have on you personally?
He mesmerized me. When you got in his presence you felt this huge fortress of knowledge. This brother read books and he studied. He was so far from stupid. Then he had the street swagger. He had a passion. It was really weird to see that kind of meaning in such a young brother. He was a baby. I can't help but wonder what would he have been if he'd gotten a chance to blossom. Because he hadn't even scratched the surface of what he could have done had he been given the chance.

Your film, Brooklyn's Finest (starring Don Cheadle), was shown at Sundance.
I'm super proud of that movie for a number of reasons. [Director] Antoine Fuqua, I'm a huge fan of his. My early years of studying acting were stylized from Wesley Snipes and Don Cheadle [Ed Note: both of whom are in the movie]. I've always kind of been compared to them on one level or another. To be on the same frame with those two brothers meant so much to me. I'm super psyched about that project. I can't wait until it drops.

From the Mar/Apr, 2009 issue