Roush on The Wire
Question: I've always appreciated your continued advocacy for
The Wire, given that it is truly one of the most spectacular achievements in television, as far as I'm concerned. I'm writing in response to your assertion that it will be difficult for the actors to be acknowledged by the Emmys, given that their names are mostly unknown. I don't refute this claim; rather, I'm writing to lament that you're probably right. Here is yet another problem they face: They are all so incredibly good that none of them stands out. I remember seeing Lance Reddick on
Lost, and I was absolutely stunned by his presence on screen, how he demanded your eye go to him rather than anyone else in the scene. And this is on
Lost, which is already filled with superb actors. Yet Reddick was just one of the bunch on
The Wire — great to be sure, but no more so than McNulty or Bunk or Omar or Bubbles or Kima or Lester. I think we need a best-cast-ever Emmy to dole out to all the actors, and finally give them the credit they deserve. Do you have any thoughts on how
all of the major award shows (including the SAG awards, which are apparently a bad joke) have ignored this cast? Here's hoping the injustice is finally made right.
— Katelyn
Matt Roush: An embarrassment of riches, to be sure, with so many discoveries in this cast, including the four young actors who were at the core of Season 4 (a few of who went on to make this season memorably heartbreaking as well). The Wire is way overdue one of those SAG ensemble-cast awards, but the naturalistic tone of the show probably works against it making "stars" out of these actors, fine as they are. There's also an argument that a geographic bias exists against a show that films in Baltimore, operating outside the New York-L.A. power corridors and contributing to keeping it under the usual show-biz radar.
