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Whenever you heard “Ayo, Omar’s comin’!” on HBO’s The Wire you knew were in for a treat thanks to Brooklyn actor Michael K. Williams’ talent and stone cold demeanor. The actor hit The Breakfast Club for a revealing interview. 

Ever since his portrayal of the shotgun totin’ gangster —who’s also gay by the way—Omar Little he’s become a fan favorite actor whose presence on screen demands attention and respect.

Since then the self-proclaimed “cream puff dude” of a man has gone on to appear in a few big budget pictures and continue to play certified gangsters on other HBO shows such as Boardwalk Empire and more recently the hit series The Night Of.

The Brooklyn born actor and ambassador of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) broke down why it was simple for him to play a gay role, just how hard the struggle was for him before becoming successful at his craft and even during, and how he got that famous scar on his face.

Here are the 10 things we learned from Michael K. Williams on The Breakfast Club.

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1. Gay Roles

When asked about having reservations about playing the gay thug Omar Little on The Wire, Michael responded with “Man listen, I have reservations about not eating.”

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2. Hug Life

Michael has no qualm with admitting he wasn’t a gangster growing up in Brooklyn saying that anyone who grew up with him knew him as “Mike the cream puff dude.” With that being said, talk about a hell of an actor.

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3. Victim Of Abuse

He’s a survivor of child molestation and that act of abuse made him question himself. He’ll leave it at that.

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4. Living “Homeless”

Because of his drug use while filming The Wire he was evicted from his home and found himself crashing at different spots around NYC and New Jersey until he got back on his feet.

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5. Temptation

Playing the role of Freddy on HBO’s The Night Of made Michael want to relapse into drugs.

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6. The Struggle

At one point of his career he was struggling so bad that his mother found herself supporting him and paying his rent. Eventually he ended up working at her daycare center to make ends meet.

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7. Depression

With the the future of his career in serious doubt it got to the point where MK found himself taking anti-depression meds to help him maintain. Eventually infamous entertainment manager Jimmy ‘Henchman’ Rosemond helped him resurrect his career with a gig on The Wire.

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8. Tupac

Even though Tupac discovered him, Pac didn’t really take him under his wing. Mike even admits to being intimidated by the late rapper on the set of the movie Bullet.

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9. Black Lives Matter

He understands the Black Lives Matter movement and supports it, but does question where’s the protests for the Black lives that are taken by other Black lives.

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10. The Legendary Scar

The famous buck-fifty he sports on his face came from a rumble he got into on his 25th birthday. Not exactly a present anyone would want but could be argued that in the long run it turned out to be a gift that kept on giving.

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