The 7 movies Michael K. Williams wanted you to watch
Michael K. Williams, who died this week at age 54, may be best known for his acclaimed TV performances on “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire,” but the actor was also a cinema connoisseur.
The film buff had roles in many movies over the years, such as the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot, “The Purge: Anarchy” and “Motherless Brooklyn,” among others.
Despite his vast array of parts, Williams, who’s nominated for an Emmy this year for his supporting role in “Lovecraft Country,” expressed deep-seated fears about being typecast in an HBO and Atlantic video short. Playing Omar, he turns to the real Williams and yells, “Do you think a white boy could’ve played Omar?”
Still, he maintained a love of film.
Back in 2011, Williams, who played Omar on “The Wire,” toured the Criterion Collection office and library as part of their “DVD Picks” series, in which celebs reveal some of their favorite movies.
“It’s a goldmine in here,” the actor says in the video before first snapping up director Matteo Garrone’s 2008 Italian Mafia flick “Gomorrah.” “One to watch,” Williams says.
Then he grabs “The Fugitive Kind,” Sidney Lumet’s 1960 drama that starred Marlon Brando as a partier who plays guitar. “Look at Marlon Brando!” Williams gushes. “Boy, was he soft on the eyes right there, man. That’s the dude!”
Williams then gravitates toward 2008’s “Hunger,” the debut film of Steve McQueen.
“I’ve heard this dude Steve McQueen is an amazing director,” the actor says. “I haven’t seen this yet, but I gotta check it out.”
McQueen’s “12 Years A Slave” went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, and Williams appeared in it.
Williams proclaims 1955’s “The Night of the Hunter,” directed by Charles Laughton, is “a classic!” and Richard Linklater’s 1993 comedy “Dazed and Confused” should be “a staple in your video library.”
Last he picks up 1936’s “Modern Times,” the last film in which Charlie Chaplin played the Little Tramp. Honoring the British actor who never made a peep, Williams says nothing at all.
