In the television show, “The Wire,” the often true-to-life stories have helped to make it one of the most popular shows on TV today.
The series, which stars Dominic West and Lance Reddick, airs on HBO at 10 p.m. Sundays. It is often compared to cop dramas such as “The Sopranos” and is currently in its fourth season.
“The Wire” shows all sides of groups in a city starting with “The Law,” “The Streets,” “The Hall” and “The School.”
One of the best things about this show is that each group of people has their own type of corruption and justice.
Profanity and bloodshed also help to make this show even more realistic.
In a recent interview with The Roundup, Kwame Patterson, who plays the character “Monk,” describes why he loves working on the set of this show.
“‘The Wire’ shows the realism of the streets. It shows the politics behind the law and the streets. It deals with a lot of things people try and block out. And there are a lot of talented cast members,” he said.
“The Wire,” which is set on the streets of Baltimore, Md., is also home to Patterson.
Throughout his younger years, Patterson, 29, lived in New Jersey where drugs and gangs were part of every day life. Once out of high school, he realized his life was going down the wrong road and moved to Maryland, a decision which may have saved his life. “My mom moved to Maryland and told me I needed to move, too, before I ended up dead or in jail,” he said.
Patterson’s character on the show is the overseer of the streets.
“He takes care of business,” Patterson said. “He makes sure that people are doing what they are supposed to do. He’s third in command,” Whenever Patterson is not filming, he is reading plays and books.
Growing up, he was inspired by Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson to become an actor. What Patterson likes best about acting is “becoming the character.”
“When I play a character, I can step outside of myself. I like becoming whoever it is I am playing,” he explained.
Patterson recently had a guest appearance on “The Shield” and is currently trying to sign onto the production of “A Thug’s Life,” although nothing is official yet.
He just wants to continue to be a working actor and talk to kids about acting.
His advice for aspiring actors is simple.
“If I could tell kids one thing about acting it would be don’t get discouraged,” he said. “Keep striving for your dream. I come from a hard life. You can achieve whatever you want.” “The Wire” has deep and carefully thought out story lines.
Even if you know nothing about the characters or their background from previous seasons, it still keeps viewers — both the old and the new — interested.
(Courtesy of Kwame Patterson)
