March 20, 2025 • 31 mins
Our host Darriel Roy interviews American actor Wendell Pierce who currently stars on the CBS show Elsbeth & Snaps on the Starz series, Raising Kanan.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome. Thank you so much for watching.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
This shows all about giving you insights and showcasing brands
that help you to live your best life and give
you confidence. As always, I want to kick start your
morning with some motivational advice to help you to feel
inspired and energize to start your day today. I want
to talk about the importance of understanding that your brain will.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Always prove you right. So what thoughts are you feeding it?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
The reality is our brain dictates how we perceive the
world and the emotions we feel. The reticular activating system
of our brain filters out unnecessary information, takes what you
focus on, and creates a filter for it. That's why
if you're constantly thinking about something, you happen to start
seeing signs of it everywhere. Your reticular activating system is
(00:44):
constantly giving you data on the thoughts you are feeding it.
For example, if we're constantly thinking about disempowering or negative
beliefs like life is so hard for me or good
things never happen for me, our particular activating system will
then go to work and filter out that data to
show you evidence to prove you right. The great news
is we can begin today to start feeding our brains
(01:07):
thoughts and beliefs that empower us, so that our reality
can start showing us evidence of that belief. People who
think I am so lucky where everything is always working
out for me tend to experience exactly that because our
reticulated activating system begins to go to work to show
you data to prove you are correct. Make your mission today.
Start being conscious of what beliefs you are telling yourself.
(01:29):
Begin to switch negative beliefs to ones that empower you,
so that your reticular activating system can constantly show you
data of how lucky and blessed you truly are. Just
like the quote by Henry Ford quotes whether you think
you can or you can't your rights. Next up on
the show, we have American actor Wendell Pierce, who currently
stars on the CBS show else This and snaps on
(01:50):
the Stars series Raising Canaan. Wendell, thank you so much
for being on the show today.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
How are you doing very good?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
We have a lot to talk about, but before we
get into your current roles in shows like Raising Kanaan.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Let's talk about your passion for acting. When did it begin.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Oh well, I started very young. I actually did a
play in kindergarten. I played Chicken Little this guy is
falling down. But I really it was in the summer
between fifth and sixth grade. I guess I was about
ten or eleven years old. I went to a theater
camp at the University of New Orleans. It was run
(02:32):
by a husband and wife team who did little film
and theater and had a great summer. And when I
went back to school, the woman called and she was
directing her thesis play, which was a children's play, a
children's play, and it was She asked me to be
(02:54):
a part of me and be the lead in it,
and that really sparked my interest, and I decided to
and started doing plays and and and and getting into theater.
(03:15):
And then they came recruiting for the New Orleans Center
of Creative Arts about two years later when I first
went into high school, and I went there to visit,
and that's when I realized, oh, man, that is a beautiful,
beautiful school, and they are really preparing people and training
people seriously. And that's when I really caught the bug.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
When I was fourteen, Wow, that's pretty young. It's incredible.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Then I had a great example in the community of
the Free Southern Theater, which was a group that used
to go around during the Civil Rights movement and do
plays along the marches and all. And that's and that's
that's when I really started professionalism and the artistry. And
I worked with members from that company once it disbanded
(04:00):
when I was in my high school years, and they
became my mentors and all. And those three short years
from fourteen to seventeen, working in the community with Free
Southern Theater members from the Free Southern Theater and working
and training at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts,
I really developed a work ethic and a professionalism and
(04:22):
an appreciation and love for the art form. And that
prepared me to go to Julia. And I came to
New York when I was seventeen to study at Julia,
which is one of the best conservatoris in the world.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Wow. Incredible.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
And one of your first major roles when you started
was the HBO series The Wire.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Tell us about that role.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah, well, The Wire came actually, it came well into
my career. It's about I've been kind of a professional
actor for about fifteen years when The Wire came along
and it became a defining, a defining role and job
(05:05):
in my career, and it put me on the map.
It will be the first thing mentioned when people reflect
on my career. And The Wire was one of one
of the best experiences I've ever had because it made
an impact that was classic. That's going to speak to
(05:27):
people long after I'm gone, long after we're all gone.
It speaks to people now and spoke to people back then,
and that's the thing that makes it classic. It was
so well written, so well shot, and the actors on it,
we did a great job and it still has an
impact today. It was like the Canary and the mott
(05:48):
What the show was talking about the dysfunction of the
American urban landscape, the decline in the American Empire, and
all due to the hubris, the tragic flaw of America,
which is its duplicity, which is, you know, we believe
(06:11):
e pluribus unum out of many one and now we
say that, but then we act differently, as you see
now we don't believe out of many one. We don't
want everyone to be a part of it. There is
you know, there's a lack of this idea of inclusion
(06:33):
is seen as a pejorative today, inclusion and equality, you know,
and diversity is seen as a pejorative. So we were
talking about that then when The Wire first came on,
and it was the Canarian the mind letting people know
that if we go down this path, it's a path
(06:53):
of self destruction and hopefully we can get off of it.
And it's because of that sort of impact with the
work that The Wire became famous and is still speaking
to audiences today.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Very nice and you know, I know in nineteen eighty
five you major Broadway debut that earned you some Tony Awards.
Let's talk about how Broadway kind of shaped you into
the actor you are today.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Well, yeah, I mean I wasn't nominated, but that's thirty
years ago. I did thirty years Attorney to Broadway. I
was nominated for Death of a Salesman. I started out
in the piano lesson on Broadway and serious money. I
(07:43):
am an actor who trained, it's classically trained, and so
theater was my first love. And I always feel as though,
you know, my success is due to the fact that
I do theater, television and film. Each year, I tried
to have an eclectic and first career, and I like
to work in the different mediums, and good writing is
(08:08):
always the barometer about which I judge what pieces I
tried to do. I try to do good writing, but
I want to do theater and film continuously going back
and forth. So it just stretches a different muscle, a
different acting muscle when you're on the stage and when
(08:28):
you're filming, and so I I like to do it all.
And I think my longevity, because this year will be
my fortieth year in the business, is because I do
theater and film, and so doing Broadway, which is the
epitome of the stage commercial career, just challenges you and
(08:49):
forces you to be the best that you can be.
And that's what I trained for. So it gives me
a great sense of satisfaction when I'm on stage at
that level.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
And fast forward, let's talk about your role as Captain
Wagner and Elsbeth.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Tell us about your role.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Well. Elsbeth is a show that is centered around el
Sabeth is a lawyer who's quirky and weird, and she
has come to investigate come to investigate the New York
Police Department, and so she is my nemesis and a
(09:28):
thorn in my side. But in the course of that,
I discovered that she is a brilliant, brilliant investigator and
she helps my detectives solve cases. So she becomes a
real asset while she's also being a pain in my butt.
And along the course of that, I befriend her. And
(09:49):
the show is really based on Colombo, which was a
whole show with Peter fulk and so she's like a
female Columbo and Carrie Preston. There we go, I'm showing
my age. I haven't seen your moment. Carry Preston is
like a modern day Lucille Ball meets Meryl Street. She
(10:11):
has the acting ability and chops to be a comedian
and are a great dramatic actor, and so she has
that special quirkiness and created this character of Elsbeth and
has won awards with it. And so it's great to
(10:31):
have the show developed around her, and it's great to
be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
M hm. And you also play snaps on the Star
series Raising Kanaine. I know you play a gangster in that,
which is quite different from your other role, right, so
tell us about that role as well.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So on Raising Kanaan, I play snaps who is an
old school gangster bank Robert drug dealer, and he is
the polar opposite of act and wagon. I am literally
at the same time playing cops and robberts. Yeah, and
(11:06):
it is showing my range as an actor. That's what
I love about the challenge that I'm playing two men
who are completely different, and I tried to make them
as distinct as possible, as separate as possible, and let
that be a display of of my abilities as an
artist and as an actor. And that's what we live for,
(11:30):
that's what we dream dream of, being able to do diverse,
eclectic roles and really display your talent. And it's it's
this time right now is really a highlight for me
to demonstrate that I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
M And you've been in the industry for so long,
You've had so much success as an actor. For you,
what's been your most memorable milestone that's meant something really.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Great to you personally?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Uh. When I did Death of a Salesman and played
Willy Lohman, it was my first time doing a play
in London. It is one of the most challenging roles
in the English canon. It is the American Hamlet really,
and it is the thing that I I've never been
(12:22):
challenged so deeply as I was emotionally, physically, vocally with
stamina as I was playing Willy Lohman in Death of
a Salesman, and to do that on the London stage
in the West End where so many for centuries that
(12:43):
actually played that was quickly the highlight of my career.
At that point, I was wondering if my best days
were behind me. And I was sixty year old man
who had a long career, a roller coaster of a
(13:03):
career as all careers can be, but wondering if I
had the abilities to do some of the great roles.
You know, I was fearful that I didn't didn't have
my chops anymore, that I that my best days were
behind me. But that role gave me the courage. So
(13:26):
while I still have fear, I now have courage. And
that's acting not in the absence of fear, but acting
in the face of fear. So I'm looking forward to
now doing some of the more challenging roles that that
are that are out there, that are on my bucket list,
and one of them will be a fellow, which I do.
(13:50):
It's the next season. So that's the highlight of my career.
That that for me is the culmination of decades of
work and multitudes of projects and all the training and
the experience was Willie Lowman and death of a salesman
(14:11):
on the London stage.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Very nice.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
And you know, aside from being a fantastic actor, you
also are passionate about giving back. I know that you
have a nonprofit organization, so tell us a littleout that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
So twenty years ago, my world, my neighborhood, my city
was destroyed in Katrina. I'm from New Orleans. I live
in New Orleans, and my neighborhood of Punch Train Park
came out of the civil rights movement. You know, it
was an ugly time in segregated New Orleans where you
(14:46):
couldn't even go to a park if you were black
except one day out of the week Negro Day. Any
other time you would be arrested. And it was because of
my my parents' generation that they fought against discrimination and
segregation and won these battles that gave us access to
(15:09):
green space, literal just green space, to a park, to
a playground, just like any other American. And out of
this advocacy, my father came back from World War Two
who was a part of this movement along with my
mother who was a teacher, and they developed a neighborhood
(15:29):
called Punch and Train Park in post World War two
where it was a place where African Americans could buy homes,
which was a part of the nineteen fifties boom suburbia explosion.
And while it was separate but equal, still couldn't buy
into white neighborhoods. But they made it separate but equal.
(15:51):
They took that ugly concept of giving us the same
thing but separate and turned it into an incubator of
talent in Punch Train Park. First Black mayor, our first
da musicians, teachers, lawyers, doctors all came out of this
great neighborhood and it was totally destroyed by Katrina, and
I knew it was up to me and my generation
(16:15):
who benefited from my parents' generation. They were like this
most is generation that gave us, Joshua generation a wonderful
place to grow up and go out and be successful
men and women in the world. When that neighborhood was destroyed,
it was up to us to rebuild it. And that's
when we put together our own nonprofit Puncher Train Park
(16:36):
Community Development Corps and rebuilt our neighborhood brick by brick,
block by block, house by house, and now we are
back up and we are on the National Register of
Historic Places. So that that was due to all of
those people that fought so hard and gave their lives
(16:59):
to give me a better life. So we owe it
to them, and we honor them by rebuilding what they
had built in the first place.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
That's amazing that you know, you're using your platform to
help and inspire others.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
And you know, speaking about inspiration, you know, I created
my platform to inspire, to uplift and to really showcase
that anything is possible with a dream, a vision, and
belief in yourself. So for anyone watching this that you
know might be going through a hard time, maybe they're
working hard but not seeing their dreams manifest, what would
you say to inspire and uplift that.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Exercise your right of self determination. Exercise your rights of
self determination. It is a right. Don't let anybody tell
you your vision is a privilege and you have to wait
for someone else to give it to you. Do all
the things necessary to put yourself in the best position
(17:55):
to achieve the goals that you want, So exercise your
right of self determination. And something else that is really
important because something I just recently was thinking about it.
Someone said that, you know you work hard. We teach
(18:16):
our kids to work hard and to go to school
and do the best that they can, and meritocracy will
reward them with success. Well, that's not always true, because
even though we try to live by meritocracy, life is
not fair, so it won't always result in the success
(18:36):
that you want. But the reason we tell you to
work hard and live your dreams and exercise your right
of self determination because the first wealth in life is
not money or possessions or whatever. It's knowledge. The first
wealth in life is knowledge, and you want to acquire
that knowledge because working hard, the real excess is self fulfillment,
(19:02):
a sense of self worth, a self value. That that
should be the goal, and as a byproduct of that,
it increases your likelihood of becoming successful. When it comes
to monetary wealth and accumulating possessions or living in a
(19:28):
home that you would like or whatever. You don't work
hard for just those material things. You work hard for
self fulfillment, and that should be the primary goal. So
even if the material things may not reach the level
you want, you will be rich in self fulfillment and
(19:51):
doing what your call to do, your vocation. I am
an actor because that's my vocation, the thing that I
love to do. I've been fortunate to make it my occupation,
the thing that I earn my living at. But I
accept that one day it won't be my occupation. That
(20:12):
won't change the fact that it will still be my vocation.
So even if I have to be a garbage man
during the day and at the end of the day
take a shower and put on a fresh set of
clothes and go down to the local community theater and
do a play, I will still be satisfied because I
(20:33):
am doing the thing that I'm called to do, my
vocation and be an actor. So while the two may
not always happen at the same time, your vocation and
your occupation, know that the first wealth is knowledge and
fulfilling yourself. You work hard for self fulfillment, so exercise
(20:53):
your right of self determination and capture that self fulfillment.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I think that's spent home advice because you.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Know, when we follow our passion, that's when we get
self fulfillment, right, and that's really at the end of
the day, what we the biggest rewards.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I completely agree with you. I wonder what else are
you currently working on? What are your current projects.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I am finishing up We have finished up Raising Canaan,
which is now airing, and I'm finishing up this season
of Elsbeth, and I'm about to go to London where
I'm shooting Jack Ryan the movie for Prime Time where
(21:36):
I played James Greer, the deputy c I a director.
And then this summer I'm going to be a part
of two big comic book films, Thunderbolts, which comes out
in May May second and then in July. First week
(21:56):
in July Superman play Perry White. So I have a
lot of things coming up and I'm working very hard
and enjoying the journey.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Amazing. Wendell, thank you so much for being on the
show today. I really appreciate it. And congratulations on all
your success.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Thank you very much. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
The Dear Roshow is available on Roku, Amazon, Fire Tv, iHeartRadio,
and Apple Podcasts.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Doing some of the more challenging roles that are that
are out there that are on my bucket list and
one of them will be a Fellow, which I do
next season. So that's the highlight of my career. That
that for me is the culmination of decades of work
(23:05):
and multitudes of projects and all the training and the
experience was Willie Lowman and death of a salesman on
the London stage.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Very nice.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And you know, aside from being a fantastic actor, you
also are passionate about giving back. I know that you
have a nonprofit organization, so tell us a little aut that.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So twenty years ago, my world, my neighborhood, my city
was destroyed in Katrina. I'm from New Orleans. I live
in New Orleans and my neighborhood of Punch Train Park
came out of the Civil rights movement. You know, it
was an ugly time in segregated New Orleans where you
(23:51):
couldn't even go to a park if you were black
except one day out of the week Negro Day. Any
other time you would be arrested. And it was because
of my parents' generation that they fought against discrimination and
segregation and won these battles that gave us access to
(24:13):
green space, literal just green space, to a park, to
a playground, just like any other American. And out of
this advocacy, my father came back from World War Two
who was a part of this movement, along with my mother,
who was a teacher, and they developed a neighborhood called
(24:34):
Punchy Train Park in post World War two where was
a place where African Americans could buy homes, which was
a part of the nineteen fifties boom suburbia explosion. And
while it was separate but equal, still couldn't buy into
white neighborhoods. That they made it separate but equal. They
(24:56):
took that ugly concept of giving us the same thing
effort and turned it into an incubator of talent in
punch Train Park, our first Black mayor, our first da musicians, teachers, lawyers,
doctors all came out of this great neighborhood and it
was totally destroyed by Katrina, and I knew it was
(25:17):
up to me and my generation who benefited from my
parents' generation. They were like this Moses generation that gave
us Joshua generation a wonderful place to grow up and
go out and be successful men and women in the world.
When that neighborhood was destroyed, it was up to us
to rebuild it. And that's when we put together our
(25:39):
own nonprofit, Punchy Train Park Community Development Corps, and rebuilt
our neighborhood brick by brick, block by block, house by house,
and now we're back up and we are in the
National Register of Historic Places. So that was that was
due to all of those people that fought so hard
(26:02):
and gave their lives to give me a better life.
So we owed it to them, and we honor them
by rebuilding what they had built in the first place.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
That's amazing that you know, you're using your platform to
help and inspire others.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And you know, speaking about inspiration, you know, I created
my platform to inspire, to uplift and to really showcase
that anything is possible with a dream, a vision, and
belief in yourself. So for anyone watching this that you
know might be going through a hard time, maybe they're
working hard but not seeing their dreams manifest, what would
you say to inspire and uplift that.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Exercise your right of self determination. Exercise your rights of
self determination. It is a right. Don't let anybody tell
you your vision is a privilege and you have to
wait for someone else to give it to you do
all the things necessary to put yourself in the best
(26:59):
position to achieve the goals that you want, So exercise
your right of self determination. And something else that is
really important is something I just recently was thinking about it.
Someone said that, you know you work hard. We teach
(27:20):
our kids to work hard and to go to school
and do the best that they can, and meritocracy will
reward them with success. Well, that's not always true, because
even though we try to live by a meritocracy, life
is not fair, so it won't always result in the
(27:41):
success that you want. But the reason we tell you
to work hard and live your dreams and exercise your
right of self determination because the first wealth in life
is not money or possessions or whatever. It's knowledge. The
first wealth in life is knowledge, and you want to
acquire that knowledge because working hard the real success is
(28:06):
self fulfillment, a sense of self worth, of self value.
That that should be the goal, and as a byproduct
of that, it increases your likelihood of becoming successful. When
it comes to monetary wealth and accumulating possessions or living
(28:33):
in the home that you would like or whatever, you
don't work hard for just those material things. You work
hard for self fulfillment and that should be the primary goal.
So even if the material things may not reach the
level you want, you will be rich in self fulfillment
(28:54):
and doing what you're called to do your vocation. I
am an actor because that's my vocation, the thing that
I love to do. I've been fortunate to make it
my occupation, the thing that I earn my living at.
But I accept that one day it won't be my occupation.
(29:16):
That won't change the fact that it will still be
my vocation. So even if I have to be a
garbage man during the day, and at the end of
the day take a shower and put on a fresh
set of clothes and go down to the local community
theater and do a play, I will still be satisfied
(29:37):
because I am doing the thing that I'm called to do,
my vocation and be an actor. So while the two
may not always happen at the same time, your vocation
and your occupation, know that the first wealth is knowledge
and fulfilling yourself. You work hard for self fulfillment, so
(29:57):
exercise your right of self determined and capture that self fulfillment.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I think that's fantastic advice.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Because you know, when we follow our passion, that's when
we get self fulfillment, right, and that's really, at the
end of the day, what we the biggest rewards.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
So I completely agree with you. I wonder what else
are you currently working on? What are your current projects.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
I am finishing up We have finished up Raising Canaan,
which is now airing, and I'm finishing up this season
of Elsbeth, and I'm about to go to London where
I'm shooting Jack Ryan the movie for Prime Time where
(30:41):
I played James Greer, the deputy CIA director. And then
this summer I'm going to be a part of two
big comic book films, Thunderbolts, which comes out in May
May second and then July. First week. In July, Superman
(31:05):
played Perry White. So I have a lot of things
coming up and I'm working very hard on enjoying the journey.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Amazing Wendell, thank you so much for being on the
show today. I really appreciate it. And congratulations and all
your success.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Thank you very much. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
The Dear Roy Show is available on Roku, Amazon, Fire Tv, iHeartRadio,
and Apple Podcasts.
Hello and welcome. Thank you so much for watching.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
This shows all about giving you insights and showcasing brands
that help you to live your best life and give
you confidence. As always, I want to kick start your
morning with some motivational advice to help you to feel
inspired and energize to start your day today. I want
to talk about the importance of understanding that your brain will.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Always prove you right. So what thoughts are you feeding it?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
The reality is our brain dictates how we perceive the
world and the emotions we feel. The reticular activating system
of our brain filters out unnecessary information, takes what you
focus on, and creates a filter for it. That's why
if you're constantly thinking about something, you happen to start
seeing signs of it everywhere. Your reticular activating system is
(00:44):
constantly giving you data on the thoughts you are feeding it.
For example, if we're constantly thinking about disempowering or negative
beliefs like life is so hard for me or good
things never happen for me, our particular activating system will
then go to work and filter out that data to
show you evidence to prove you right. The great news
is we can begin today to start feeding our brains
(01:07):
thoughts and beliefs that empower us, so that our reality
can start showing us evidence of that belief. People who
think I am so lucky where everything is always working
out for me tend to experience exactly that because our
reticulated activating system begins to go to work to show
you data to prove you are correct. Make your mission today.
Start being conscious of what beliefs you are telling yourself.
(01:29):
Begin to switch negative beliefs to ones that empower you,
so that your reticular activating system can constantly show you
data of how lucky and blessed you truly are. Just
like the quote by Henry Ford quotes whether you think
you can or you can't your rights. Next up on
the show, we have American actor Wendell Pierce, who currently
stars on the CBS show else This and snaps on
(01:50):
the Stars series Raising Canaan. Wendell, thank you so much
for being on the show today.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
How are you doing very good?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
We have a lot to talk about, but before we
get into your current roles in shows like Raising Kanaan.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Let's talk about your passion for acting. When did it begin.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Oh well, I started very young. I actually did a
play in kindergarten. I played Chicken Little this guy is
falling down. But I really it was in the summer
between fifth and sixth grade. I guess I was about
ten or eleven years old. I went to a theater
camp at the University of New Orleans. It was run
(02:32):
by a husband and wife team who did little film
and theater and had a great summer. And when I
went back to school, the woman called and she was
directing her thesis play, which was a children's play, a
children's play, and it was She asked me to be
(02:54):
a part of me and be the lead in it,
and that really sparked my interest, and I decided to
and started doing plays and and and and getting into theater.
(03:15):
And then they came recruiting for the New Orleans Center
of Creative Arts about two years later when I first
went into high school, and I went there to visit,
and that's when I realized, oh, man, that is a beautiful,
beautiful school, and they are really preparing people and training
people seriously. And that's when I really caught the bug.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
When I was fourteen, Wow, that's pretty young. It's incredible.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Then I had a great example in the community of
the Free Southern Theater, which was a group that used
to go around during the Civil Rights movement and do
plays along the marches and all. And that's and that's
that's when I really started professionalism and the artistry. And
I worked with members from that company once it disbanded
(04:00):
when I was in my high school years, and they
became my mentors and all. And those three short years
from fourteen to seventeen, working in the community with Free
Southern Theater members from the Free Southern Theater and working
and training at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts,
I really developed a work ethic and a professionalism and
(04:22):
an appreciation and love for the art form. And that
prepared me to go to Julia. And I came to
New York when I was seventeen to study at Julia,
which is one of the best conservatoris in the world.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Wow. Incredible.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
And one of your first major roles when you started
was the HBO series The Wire.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Tell us about that role.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah, well, The Wire came actually, it came well into
my career. It's about I've been kind of a professional
actor for about fifteen years when The Wire came along
and it became a defining, a defining role and job
(05:05):
in my career, and it put me on the map.
It will be the first thing mentioned when people reflect
on my career. And The Wire was one of one
of the best experiences I've ever had because it made
an impact that was classic. That's going to speak to
(05:27):
people long after I'm gone, long after we're all gone.
It speaks to people now and spoke to people back then,
and that's the thing that makes it classic. It was
so well written, so well shot, and the actors on it,
we did a great job and it still has an
impact today. It was like the Canary and the mott
(05:48):
What the show was talking about the dysfunction of the
American urban landscape, the decline in the American Empire, and
all due to the hubris, the tragic flaw of America,
which is its duplicity, which is, you know, we believe
(06:11):
e pluribus unum out of many one and now we
say that, but then we act differently, as you see
now we don't believe out of many one. We don't
want everyone to be a part of it. There is
you know, there's a lack of this idea of inclusion
(06:33):
is seen as a pejorative today, inclusion and equality, you know,
and diversity is seen as a pejorative. So we were
talking about that then when The Wire first came on,
and it was the Canarian the mind letting people know
that if we go down this path, it's a path
(06:53):
of self destruction and hopefully we can get off of it.
And it's because of that sort of impact with the
work that The Wire became famous and is still speaking
to audiences today.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Very nice and you know, I know in nineteen eighty
five you major Broadway debut that earned you some Tony Awards.
Let's talk about how Broadway kind of shaped you into
the actor you are today.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Well, yeah, I mean I wasn't nominated, but that's thirty
years ago. I did thirty years Attorney to Broadway. I
was nominated for Death of a Salesman. I started out
in the piano lesson on Broadway and serious money. I
(07:43):
am an actor who trained, it's classically trained, and so
theater was my first love. And I always feel as though,
you know, my success is due to the fact that
I do theater, television and film. Each year, I tried
to have an eclectic and first career, and I like
to work in the different mediums, and good writing is
(08:08):
always the barometer about which I judge what pieces I
tried to do. I try to do good writing, but
I want to do theater and film continuously going back
and forth. So it just stretches a different muscle, a
different acting muscle when you're on the stage and when
(08:28):
you're filming, and so I I like to do it all.
And I think my longevity, because this year will be
my fortieth year in the business, is because I do
theater and film, and so doing Broadway, which is the
epitome of the stage commercial career, just challenges you and
(08:49):
forces you to be the best that you can be.
And that's what I trained for. So it gives me
a great sense of satisfaction when I'm on stage at
that level.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
And fast forward, let's talk about your role as Captain
Wagner and Elsbeth.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Tell us about your role.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Well. Elsbeth is a show that is centered around el
Sabeth is a lawyer who's quirky and weird, and she
has come to investigate come to investigate the New York
Police Department, and so she is my nemesis and a
(09:28):
thorn in my side. But in the course of that,
I discovered that she is a brilliant, brilliant investigator and
she helps my detectives solve cases. So she becomes a
real asset while she's also being a pain in my butt.
And along the course of that, I befriend her. And
(09:49):
the show is really based on Colombo, which was a
whole show with Peter fulk and so she's like a
female Columbo and Carrie Preston. There we go, I'm showing
my age. I haven't seen your moment. Carry Preston is
like a modern day Lucille Ball meets Meryl Street. She
(10:11):
has the acting ability and chops to be a comedian
and are a great dramatic actor, and so she has
that special quirkiness and created this character of Elsbeth and
has won awards with it. And so it's great to
(10:31):
have the show developed around her, and it's great to
be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
M hm. And you also play snaps on the Star
series Raising Kanaine. I know you play a gangster in that,
which is quite different from your other role, right, so
tell us about that role as well.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So on Raising Kanaan, I play snaps who is an
old school gangster bank Robert drug dealer, and he is
the polar opposite of act and wagon. I am literally
at the same time playing cops and robberts. Yeah, and
(11:06):
it is showing my range as an actor. That's what
I love about the challenge that I'm playing two men
who are completely different, and I tried to make them
as distinct as possible, as separate as possible, and let
that be a display of of my abilities as an
artist and as an actor. And that's what we live for,
(11:30):
that's what we dream dream of, being able to do diverse,
eclectic roles and really display your talent. And it's it's
this time right now is really a highlight for me
to demonstrate that I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
M And you've been in the industry for so long,
You've had so much success as an actor. For you,
what's been your most memorable milestone that's meant something really.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Great to you personally?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Uh. When I did Death of a Salesman and played
Willy Lohman, it was my first time doing a play
in London. It is one of the most challenging roles
in the English canon. It is the American Hamlet really,
and it is the thing that I I've never been
(12:22):
challenged so deeply as I was emotionally, physically, vocally with
stamina as I was playing Willy Lohman in Death of
a Salesman, and to do that on the London stage
in the West End where so many for centuries that
(12:43):
actually played that was quickly the highlight of my career.
At that point, I was wondering if my best days
were behind me. And I was sixty year old man
who had a long career, a roller coaster of a
(13:03):
career as all careers can be, but wondering if I
had the abilities to do some of the great roles.
You know, I was fearful that I didn't didn't have
my chops anymore, that I that my best days were
behind me. But that role gave me the courage. So
(13:26):
while I still have fear, I now have courage. And
that's acting not in the absence of fear, but acting
in the face of fear. So I'm looking forward to
now doing some of the more challenging roles that that
are that are out there, that are on my bucket list,
and one of them will be a fellow, which I do.
(13:50):
It's the next season. So that's the highlight of my career.
That that for me is the culmination of decades of
work and multitudes of projects and all the training and
the experience was Willie Lowman and death of a salesman
(14:11):
on the London stage.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Very nice.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
And you know, aside from being a fantastic actor, you
also are passionate about giving back. I know that you
have a nonprofit organization, so tell us a littleout that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
So twenty years ago, my world, my neighborhood, my city
was destroyed in Katrina. I'm from New Orleans. I live
in New Orleans, and my neighborhood of Punch Train Park
came out of the civil rights movement. You know, it
was an ugly time in segregated New Orleans where you
(14:46):
couldn't even go to a park if you were black
except one day out of the week Negro Day. Any
other time you would be arrested. And it was because of
my my parents' generation that they fought against discrimination and
segregation and won these battles that gave us access to
(15:09):
green space, literal just green space, to a park, to
a playground, just like any other American. And out of
this advocacy, my father came back from World War Two
who was a part of this movement along with my
mother who was a teacher, and they developed a neighborhood
(15:29):
called Punch and Train Park in post World War two
where it was a place where African Americans could buy homes,
which was a part of the nineteen fifties boom suburbia explosion.
And while it was separate but equal, still couldn't buy
into white neighborhoods. But they made it separate but equal.
(15:51):
They took that ugly concept of giving us the same
thing but separate and turned it into an incubator of
talent in Punch Train Park. First Black mayor, our first
da musicians, teachers, lawyers, doctors all came out of this
great neighborhood and it was totally destroyed by Katrina, and
I knew it was up to me and my generation
(16:15):
who benefited from my parents' generation. They were like this
most is generation that gave us, Joshua generation a wonderful
place to grow up and go out and be successful
men and women in the world. When that neighborhood was destroyed,
it was up to us to rebuild it. And that's
when we put together our own nonprofit Puncher Train Park
(16:36):
Community Development Corps and rebuilt our neighborhood brick by brick,
block by block, house by house, and now we are
back up and we are on the National Register of
Historic Places. So that that was due to all of
those people that fought so hard and gave their lives
(16:59):
to give me a better life. So we owe it
to them, and we honor them by rebuilding what they
had built in the first place.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
That's amazing that you know, you're using your platform to
help and inspire others.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
And you know, speaking about inspiration, you know, I created
my platform to inspire, to uplift and to really showcase
that anything is possible with a dream, a vision, and
belief in yourself. So for anyone watching this that you
know might be going through a hard time, maybe they're
working hard but not seeing their dreams manifest, what would
you say to inspire and uplift that.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Exercise your right of self determination. Exercise your rights of
self determination. It is a right. Don't let anybody tell
you your vision is a privilege and you have to wait
for someone else to give it to you. Do all
the things necessary to put yourself in the best position
(17:55):
to achieve the goals that you want, So exercise your
right of self determination. And something else that is really
important because something I just recently was thinking about it.
Someone said that, you know you work hard. We teach
(18:16):
our kids to work hard and to go to school
and do the best that they can, and meritocracy will
reward them with success. Well, that's not always true, because
even though we try to live by meritocracy, life is
not fair, so it won't always result in the success
(18:36):
that you want. But the reason we tell you to
work hard and live your dreams and exercise your right
of self determination because the first wealth in life is
not money or possessions or whatever. It's knowledge. The first
wealth in life is knowledge, and you want to acquire
that knowledge because working hard, the real excess is self fulfillment,
(19:02):
a sense of self worth, a self value. That that
should be the goal, and as a byproduct of that,
it increases your likelihood of becoming successful. When it comes
to monetary wealth and accumulating possessions or living in a
(19:28):
home that you would like or whatever. You don't work
hard for just those material things. You work hard for
self fulfillment, and that should be the primary goal. So
even if the material things may not reach the level
you want, you will be rich in self fulfillment and
(19:51):
doing what your call to do, your vocation. I am
an actor because that's my vocation, the thing that I
love to do. I've been fortunate to make it my occupation,
the thing that I earn my living at. But I
accept that one day it won't be my occupation. That
(20:12):
won't change the fact that it will still be my vocation.
So even if I have to be a garbage man
during the day and at the end of the day
take a shower and put on a fresh set of
clothes and go down to the local community theater and
do a play, I will still be satisfied because I
(20:33):
am doing the thing that I'm called to do, my
vocation and be an actor. So while the two may
not always happen at the same time, your vocation and
your occupation, know that the first wealth is knowledge and
fulfilling yourself. You work hard for self fulfillment, so exercise
(20:53):
your right of self determination and capture that self fulfillment.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I think that's spent home advice because you.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Know, when we follow our passion, that's when we get
self fulfillment, right, and that's really at the end of
the day, what we the biggest rewards.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I completely agree with you. I wonder what else are
you currently working on? What are your current projects.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I am finishing up We have finished up Raising Canaan,
which is now airing, and I'm finishing up this season
of Elsbeth, and I'm about to go to London where
I'm shooting Jack Ryan the movie for Prime Time where
(21:36):
I played James Greer, the deputy c I a director.
And then this summer I'm going to be a part
of two big comic book films, Thunderbolts, which comes out
in May May second and then in July. First week
(21:56):
in July Superman play Perry White. So I have a
lot of things coming up and I'm working very hard
and enjoying the journey.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Amazing. Wendell, thank you so much for being on the
show today. I really appreciate it. And congratulations on all
your success.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Thank you very much. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
The Dear Roshow is available on Roku, Amazon, Fire Tv, iHeartRadio,
and Apple Podcasts.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Doing some of the more challenging roles that are that
are out there that are on my bucket list and
one of them will be a Fellow, which I do
next season. So that's the highlight of my career. That
that for me is the culmination of decades of work
(23:05):
and multitudes of projects and all the training and the
experience was Willie Lowman and death of a salesman on
the London stage.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Very nice.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And you know, aside from being a fantastic actor, you
also are passionate about giving back. I know that you
have a nonprofit organization, so tell us a little aut that.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So twenty years ago, my world, my neighborhood, my city
was destroyed in Katrina. I'm from New Orleans. I live
in New Orleans and my neighborhood of Punch Train Park
came out of the Civil rights movement. You know, it
was an ugly time in segregated New Orleans where you
(23:51):
couldn't even go to a park if you were black
except one day out of the week Negro Day. Any
other time you would be arrested. And it was because
of my parents' generation that they fought against discrimination and
segregation and won these battles that gave us access to
(24:13):
green space, literal just green space, to a park, to
a playground, just like any other American. And out of
this advocacy, my father came back from World War Two
who was a part of this movement, along with my mother,
who was a teacher, and they developed a neighborhood called
(24:34):
Punchy Train Park in post World War two where was
a place where African Americans could buy homes, which was
a part of the nineteen fifties boom suburbia explosion. And
while it was separate but equal, still couldn't buy into
white neighborhoods. That they made it separate but equal. They
(24:56):
took that ugly concept of giving us the same thing
effort and turned it into an incubator of talent in
punch Train Park, our first Black mayor, our first da musicians, teachers, lawyers,
doctors all came out of this great neighborhood and it
was totally destroyed by Katrina, and I knew it was
(25:17):
up to me and my generation who benefited from my
parents' generation. They were like this Moses generation that gave
us Joshua generation a wonderful place to grow up and
go out and be successful men and women in the world.
When that neighborhood was destroyed, it was up to us
to rebuild it. And that's when we put together our
(25:39):
own nonprofit, Punchy Train Park Community Development Corps, and rebuilt
our neighborhood brick by brick, block by block, house by house,
and now we're back up and we are in the
National Register of Historic Places. So that was that was
due to all of those people that fought so hard
(26:02):
and gave their lives to give me a better life.
So we owed it to them, and we honor them
by rebuilding what they had built in the first place.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
That's amazing that you know, you're using your platform to
help and inspire others.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And you know, speaking about inspiration, you know, I created
my platform to inspire, to uplift and to really showcase
that anything is possible with a dream, a vision, and
belief in yourself. So for anyone watching this that you
know might be going through a hard time, maybe they're
working hard but not seeing their dreams manifest, what would
you say to inspire and uplift that.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Exercise your right of self determination. Exercise your rights of
self determination. It is a right. Don't let anybody tell
you your vision is a privilege and you have to
wait for someone else to give it to you do
all the things necessary to put yourself in the best
(26:59):
position to achieve the goals that you want, So exercise
your right of self determination. And something else that is
really important is something I just recently was thinking about it.
Someone said that, you know you work hard. We teach
(27:20):
our kids to work hard and to go to school
and do the best that they can, and meritocracy will
reward them with success. Well, that's not always true, because
even though we try to live by a meritocracy, life
is not fair, so it won't always result in the
(27:41):
success that you want. But the reason we tell you
to work hard and live your dreams and exercise your
right of self determination because the first wealth in life
is not money or possessions or whatever. It's knowledge. The
first wealth in life is knowledge, and you want to
acquire that knowledge because working hard the real success is
(28:06):
self fulfillment, a sense of self worth, of self value.
That that should be the goal, and as a byproduct
of that, it increases your likelihood of becoming successful. When
it comes to monetary wealth and accumulating possessions or living
(28:33):
in the home that you would like or whatever, you
don't work hard for just those material things. You work
hard for self fulfillment and that should be the primary goal.
So even if the material things may not reach the
level you want, you will be rich in self fulfillment
(28:54):
and doing what you're called to do your vocation. I
am an actor because that's my vocation, the thing that
I love to do. I've been fortunate to make it
my occupation, the thing that I earn my living at.
But I accept that one day it won't be my occupation.
(29:16):
That won't change the fact that it will still be
my vocation. So even if I have to be a
garbage man during the day, and at the end of
the day take a shower and put on a fresh
set of clothes and go down to the local community
theater and do a play, I will still be satisfied
(29:37):
because I am doing the thing that I'm called to do,
my vocation and be an actor. So while the two
may not always happen at the same time, your vocation
and your occupation, know that the first wealth is knowledge
and fulfilling yourself. You work hard for self fulfillment, so
(29:57):
exercise your right of self determined and capture that self fulfillment.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I think that's fantastic advice.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Because you know, when we follow our passion, that's when
we get self fulfillment, right, and that's really, at the
end of the day, what we the biggest rewards.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
So I completely agree with you. I wonder what else
are you currently working on? What are your current projects.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
I am finishing up We have finished up Raising Canaan,
which is now airing, and I'm finishing up this season
of Elsbeth, and I'm about to go to London where
I'm shooting Jack Ryan the movie for Prime Time where
(30:41):
I played James Greer, the deputy CIA director. And then
this summer I'm going to be a part of two
big comic book films, Thunderbolts, which comes out in May
May second and then July. First week. In July, Superman
(31:05):
played Perry White. So I have a lot of things
coming up and I'm working very hard on enjoying the journey.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Amazing Wendell, thank you so much for being on the
show today. I really appreciate it. And congratulations and all
your success.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Thank you very much. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
The Dear Roy Show is available on Roku, Amazon, Fire Tv, iHeartRadio,
and Apple Podcasts.
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