The Wire

If you haven’t seen The Wire yet, its because you’re an idiot. Or a hippy who doesn’t own a TV, Either way save your excuses cause with tech such as Sky Plus, hey even an old skool video recorder, it matters not how busy you find yourself.So I recommend you run to Blockbuster, or log on to your Lovefilm account and check the series out before the fifth and final series of the show airs on FX this summer.

Non –wire fans will probably have no clue as to whom Dominic West is…I know I didn’t before watching the show. To me and every other fan he is now simply McNulty. Drunk sodden, maverick cop to end all maverick cops and the centre of The Wire’s labyrinthine universe.After flicking through a friends magazine I came across the following interview with Dominic which I thought id share with you.

What kind of research did u do for The Wire?

I went round with Baltimore police for abit. My first day there, I was in a hospital next to this guy who’d been shot eight times – twice in the head – and was still alive. They also took me round the rowhouses. Admittedly there were drugs being sold in the street, but it was a sunny day and they looked like those lovely terraced houses. The guy turned to me and said, “It’s just a tragedy. I’m embarrassed to show it to you.” And I’m thinking, “I’m from Sheffield. We’ve got concrete high rises and rain. This looks like a fuckin’ holiday camp!”

You’ve worked with many Hollywood leading ladies. Who was your favourite?

I didn’t really get on with any of them (laughs). The problem is they are starving, so its very difficult for them to be normal. If I skip lunch I want to kill people, but they’re skipping everything. Julia Roberts was one of my favourites, mainly because I really fancied her. I never fancied her in films, but when I met her I thought, “Wow, she’s really sexy.” It's probably because she was recently married and was having sex all the time during the shoot.

If the trailer’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’?

Exactly. Her husband was the cameraman, so at any break in filming they were off. I also had a great time With Sandra Bullock. She’s got that laddish, fun-loving quality that comes across on film, but that’s not why I liked her. I liked her because she dances amazingly. We had this incredible dance. Trouble was, I thought, “I’m in here.” And I wasn’t.

Did you realise whilst making The Wire how well received it would be?

Yeah, we did actually. Because you go to very poor neighbourhoods and they love the show. There’s nothing else on TV or film that shows their lives with the same degree of authenticity. It’s very rare that you get that as an actor. The new mayor had an idea to put more cops on the street – not a radical idea and maybe it was nothing to do with The Wire, but I think it was. It raised people’s consciousness, and that’s the most you can hope to do.

Which Character do you like best on The Wire?

Snoop. She’s just amazing. She’s a fascinating woman and she’s had an incredibly hard life. She was the soul of The Wire; in that I doubt there were many other shows she could have found a place in. The guy who plays Omar (Michael K Williams) got to know her and realised she was quite extraordinary.

You’ve recently wrapped the fifth and final season. Can you give us a taster of what to expect?

Everybody dies. No, not really. It’s a goodie. The writing is so poignant and so clever, but Omar’s resolution, in particular, is extraordinary.

Fifth series starts in July on FX. Not to be missed!