Off-Topic

Unlike most TV series, The Wire filmed on the streets it depicted, and many of the New York–, L.A.-, and London-based cast and crew were quickly given a taste of life in Baltimore.

Andre Royo: They called me and told me I got the part of Bubbles, and my wife got excited. “Oh, shit! You got the part!” Packing her bag for L.A., and I’m like, “Nah, nah, we filming in Baltimore.” And she unpacked real quickly: “I’ll see you when you come home.”

Hassan Johnson (Wee-Bey Brice, Barksdale gang soldier): Baltimore was a culture shock.

Lance Reddick (Col. Cedric Daniels): I feel like in terms of authenticity, the locations were chosen so carefully by people who actually knew the city.

Larry Gilliard Jr. (D’Angelo Barksdale, Barksdale gang dealer): I grew up in West Baltimore, and I remember reading the script and seeing the streets and the neighborhoods, and I’m like, “I know exactly where these places are.”

J. D. Williams (Preston “Bodie” Broadus, Barksdale gang dealer): “The Pit” [where Bodie, D’Angelo, and the other Barksdale employees dealt] was in a courtyard of an actual housing complex.

Michael B. Jordan (Wallace, Barksdale gang dealer): This is some real shit. It was real to the point where crackheads would come up and try to cop. I had fake money, and they would come over, and an exchange would go down. I would think they were part of the crew, and I’d make the exchange. Then security would come around and be like, “No! No! No!” and break it up. I was like, “Oh, shit! That’s really a crack-head! I’m sorry! I’m not really a drug dealer!”

Clarke Peters: Having spent so much time in England, Baltimore was a wonderful education on American politics, American history, American society. And although this was centered in Baltimore, it was easy to see in a very short period of time how Baltimore was just every major city in America.

Wendell Pierce (Det. William “Bunk” Moreland): The great thing about shooting in Baltimore was we were each other’s best company. We worked hard, long hours, but we partied hard, too, man. One bar made the mistake of having celebrity-bartender night. It happened one time, and one time only! That’s all I need to say!

Idris Elba: We smoked a lot of good weed, did a lot of strip clubs. A lot of that.

Michael B. Jordan: I kind of grew up around Idris and Wendell and Clarke and everybody. I would just tag along, going to strip clubs. I became a man in Baltimore with those guys