Fans of The Wire, hold
your heads high as one of the greatest shows on television readies for the grand
finale on March 9.
Despite our looming angst about the end of the series, we
have some young new characters to add to our “favorite gangster” lists. At the front of the pack is Marlo Stanfield,
played impeccably by the amicably stoic actor Jamie Hector.
We spoke with Jamie in 2005 about Season Three as Marlo was
beginning to take his place in the streets, and in 2007 about Season Four as
Marlo’s power grew; so it was only right to round out “The Wire Tap” on
AllHipHop.com with Jamie’s take on Marlo Stanfield and what his fictional
legacy means to the fans. His name is his name, after all.
Thankfully, there is life after The Wire for Jamie. His many projects include his current role on
the popular NBC series Heroes, some
new movie roles, his Royal Addiction clothing line, and of course his endless
work with young people interested in show business. He told us all about his
new ventures, and gave us some serious insight on what makes Marlo Stanfield
tick.
AllHipHop.com: Marlo is making some major power moves this season,
and most are very calculated. Everything seems to be happening exactly as
he wants it to. Did he feel confident from the beginning that his
plans would work as well as they are, or is he a little surprised that it’s
been almost too easy?
Jamie Hector: No, Marlo is not surprised by how things are going.
Marlo has always gotten advice from his elders, he values wisdom and he never
makes a move without it. You’re right, his moves are very calculated – but it’s
not just that he has confidence in himself; he also has confidence in who he
chooses to listen to. By them surviving the game for so long, seeing those before
him come and go. Even Prop Joe had a lot of knowledge to offer, and Marlo made
sure to get it all before he saw him off.
AllHipHop.com: Now that Marlo has recruited Cheese, killed Prop
Joe and Omar is dead, is he feeling like he’s gaining full control of the city?
Or is he still wary of any of the OG’s or even the cops trying to tip
him over?
Jamie: Marlo is always wary. He doesn’t trust any of them. Marlo
doesn’t underestimate anybody.
AllHipHop.com: How did Marlo really feel about having to go
through Avon to get to the Greeks? It seemed like Avon
recognized the situation as a necessary business move on his side.
Jamie: It was a necessary business move, and that’s all it was…
business.
AllHipHop.com: Marlo has been introduced to text/photo
messaging for the first time, which put a twist on the wire tap. Do you find it
ironic that someone this street-savvy could be so behind in basic
technological advancements?
Jamie: Not at all, Marlo deals with simplicity, he doesn’t like to
talk in general, so picture him texting anybody unless it was absolutely
necessary. To Marlo, texting is for people who like to talk too much.
AllHipHop.com: Does Marlo worry about his legacy (or
longevity) in the streets, or is he more concerned with the “here and
now” as he makes his moves?
Jamie: Right now, Marlo is concerned with the “here and now.” It’s
a different mentality from someone who works a 9-to-5 and has a retirement
plan.
AllHipHop.com: Marlo is such a strong character. If you had your
choice of what kind of character you could play next, what would it be?
Jamie: A character like Dawit in the book My Soul To Keep by Tananarive Due, a character with unbearable
obstacles where you can see through his journey that he had to grow. There are
so many characters that I plan to do. Bottom line, great work
AllHipHop.com: You’ve done a lot of mentoring work with kids over
the past few years. What kind of projects are you working with these days to
inspire young people?
Jamie: Well, we changed the name of organization from GBU to
Moving Mountains Inc. because we have been expanding. We work with kids who are
interested in learning the business from acting to working behind the scenes
with production, script writing, stage design, etc. We also work to cover all areas of obstacles
that can block them from reaching their goals.
For example some kids are very talented but may need help
academically, so we provide that help or maybe need some advice, or issues at
home. What is really a beautiful thing is
how when people hear what you’re doing, they are quick to offer to come on
board as mentors.
AllHipHop.com: How is your clothing line coming along? What are
your plans this year with that?
Jamie: The clothing line is doing better than we expected. Right
now it’s in stores all across the country, but you know the flag ship store is
in BK! Brooklyn! We get a lot of support
from the community and I’m getting a lot of support from people in the
industry. It’s a good line, Royal Addiction is high quality the designs are
hot!
AllHipHop.com: What are you working on next?
Jamie: Well, first of all, I’m glad the [writer’s] strike is over.
Before the strike I was working on Heroes,
in the role of Benjimin Knox Washington, so I really can’t wait to get back to
work on that. As far as the films, I
like to keep things under wraps until they come out.
AllHipHop.com: Your portrayal of Marlo is already going down in
history as one of the best gangsters in film/tv with fans. When all is said and
done in your career, how do you want people to remember you as an actor and a
person?
Jamie: Thank you. Wow, I loved playing Marlo. The writers,
producers, directors and cast on The Wire
were the best. As far as how I would like to be remembered? I think it’s still
too soon to be answering that kind of a question. I think my best work as an
actor is still yet to come, so I can’t answer that. As a person? [laughs] What are you trying to
write me off or something?
[Note: to those of you who
thought you’d watch Episode 60, entitled “-30-“ tonight On Demand… forget it.
HBO isn’t making the finale available until its official air date of March 9.
*shakes fist at the sky* The good news is that it will be a whopping 93 minutes
long – the longest episode ever!]