Michael K. Williams Phed for More Gay Intimacy on 'The Wire' - Variety

Contents:

• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS WISHED ‘THE WIRE’ WENT ‘ALL IN’ ON OMAR’S INTIMACY: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F—, RIGHT?’
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE GAY INTIMACY ON ‘THE WIRE’: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F*CK, RIGHT?’
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE TIMATE GAY SCEN FOR OMAR ON THE WIRE: 'WE SHOULD GO ALL '
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS FOUGHT FOR TTH OF GAY CHARACTER OMAR THE WIRE

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS WISHED ‘THE WIRE’ WENT ‘ALL IN’ ON OMAR’S INTIMACY: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F—, RIGHT?’

Wh full knowledge of his homosexualy, the streets nohels feared and rpected him. Before his untimely ath, Williams was the favore to w an Emmy for his portrayal of Montrose Freeman, a closeted gay father, the Black science fictn masterpiece “Lovecraft Country” (which has sce been nceled).

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE GAY INTIMACY ON ‘THE WIRE’: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F*CK, RIGHT?’

They n see Omar Ltle and know that beg Black and gay and dark-skned and artistic is betiful, somethg to be embraced and celebrated – not jt after the whole world fds value your life, but long before.

This op-ed has been rrected to reflect that, as the New York Tim reported 2017, Williams did not intify as gay. Portrayg openly gay stickup man Omar on HBO’s wily acclaimed “The Wire, ” Michael K. I thk the directors were sred, and I said to one of them, ‘You know gay people fuck, right?

While Williams, who died of a dg overdose at age 54 last year, did not intify as gay, he mentned his memoir that he was lled “Faggot Mike” growg up. The book, -wrten by Jon Sternfeld, tails Williams’ ial fears about playg a gay character onscreen.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE TIMATE GAY SCEN FOR OMAR ON THE WIRE: 'WE SHOULD GO ALL '

“As for Omar’s homosexualy, was groundbreakg 20 years ago, and I adm that at first I was sred to play a gay character, ” Williams wrote.

“I thk my ial fear of Omar’s sexualy me om my upbrgg, the muny that raised me, and the stubborn stereotyp of gay characters. But, of urse, that’s only part of Williams’ Simon, creator of the show, once told me that whenever someone asked him why he ma Omar gay, he would rpond: Why did we make the other 19 characters straight?

It’s a brilliant unterpot, one that nonts whout antagonizg, while touchg on the theme of the first LGBTQ equaly march on Washgton, back 1979: We are clus the ‘ jt didn’t talk about for people to accept the premise that the most feared man one of Baltimore’s most dangero neighborhoods was openly gay, the actor portrayg him had to first breathe life to an asphyxiated versn of Black masculy.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS FOUGHT FOR TTH OF GAY CHARACTER OMAR THE WIRE

Said was “as gay as was Black, not that was exclively eher. It took somethg like Hugh’ poem “Mother to Son” and assumed the le “life for me a’t been no crystal stair” was solely about the impact of racism and not homophobia or a batn of the ’s what ma Williams’ work on the show as transformative as was brgg the character of Omar to life, Williams rurrected aspects of Black queerns that had largely gone missg Black artistry outsi of theater and edians such as Mart Lawrence and Jamie Foxx dog drag on TV.

Betiful boyiends who would appear naked bed wh him, makg impossible for viewers not to see his sexualy as part of his Omar on a h show, beg an out and proud gay Black man livg the Black muny, was on par wh seeg Will hang out wh Grace their all-whe one — an experience that Joe Bin once said ntributed to changg attus toward gay people. To play Ken Jon, a gay-rights activist who stggl wh H.

V., the ABC docudrama “When We Rise, ” he drew upon gay nephews who had died.

” Williams’s breathtakg performance ma him the ultimate outlaw: a Black, gay, shotgun-rryg gangster who operat both above the law and beyond the Baltimore street s.