Wendell Pierce

I said, but we have judges, the mayor, the president of the city council, the city council members, police officers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, who are all African American, but you're only seeing the criminals.

Imagine how tough it is for a little kid in those neighborhoods.

They don't see the lawyers or the doctors.

If you don't see them as an educated woman, a professional, and you can only see the thuggery, imagine how susceptible those young kids are to it.

And that's what we're trying to tell and the story we're trying to tell.

Now, in the fourth season, I almost quit because at our wrap party, a young lady comes up to me.

She says, oh, Mr. Pierce, I was on the show this year.

I really wanted to work with you.

We didn't have anything together.

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your work and all.

And this is my only time being on the wire.

And I'm going to Brown.

I think she was going to on a full scholarship.

And I said, who did you play?

And she says, I look younger than I am.

So I was one of the kids in the middle school.

And I said, oh.

And then she described the character that she played was this out-of-control young woman who slashes another girl's face over something trivial.

And I said, wait a minute, you played that?

And she said, yes.