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Michael K. Williams

Michael K. Williams Books

Actor

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“No one wakes up and says they want to be a gangbanger or a drug dealer- that's the last stop on the train. That what you do when you're drowning and reaching out for something- anything- to survive. By the time they get to the corner, there has been a series of things that led to that decision. No one wakes up at the top of the mountain and decides they would like it better down there on the bottom. They end up there out of desperation. We don't spend enough time examining the wider picture, the steps that get them there. We don't tell that part of the story. And to tell half the story is to spread a lie.”

SurvivalPrisonJailDesperationIncarcerationCriminal Justice SystemBlack CommunityBlack YouthJuvenile Justice System
Book:Scenes from My Life: A Memoir
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“Writers will see your work and want to try you in different things but I think you have to stay true to your vehicle. We all have a vehicle. Whether it's a thug, or a school child or the babyface or the sex siren or the video vin, whatever it is ride that until the wheels fall off and eventually, if you build your foundation then you can branch off.”

IfsThinkingWantTryingChildrenDifferentSchoolFallSexFoundationVideoWheelsBranchesDifferent ThingsVehicleStay TrueThugSirens
Author:Michael K. Williams
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“It's weird, sometimes I still see myself as just starting out. I tend to forget how much I've been doing, but in the beginning it is about the hustle, being out there and doing the work. Nothing is going to come to you, you have to get out there and do the work, and I've been doing that. But sometimes it's good to take a break and let these things air out. Reflect and take it in.”

StillsSometimesForgetBreakAirStartingHustleStarting Out
Author:Michael K. Williams
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“My childhood was pretty colorful; I like to use the word turbulent. But it was a great time to grow up, the '70s and '80s in Brooklyn, East Flatbush. It was culturally diverse: You had Italian culture, American culture, the Caribbean West Indian culture, the Hasidic Jewish culture. Everything was kind of like right there in your face. A lot of violence, you know, especially toward the '80s the neighborhood got really violent, but it made me who I am, it made me strong.”

KnowsKindMadeUseFacesCultureStrongGrowsGrowing UpViolenceChildhoodWestEastViolentWho I AmIndianNeighborhoodYour FaceItalianDiverse80sAmerican CultureBrooklynGreat TimesColorfulCaribbeanIndian CultureItalian CultureJewish CultureTime To Grow Up
Author:Michael K. Williams
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“My dancing came about as a way to be cool, actually. I knew early on that I was not a street kid. I didn't have the moxie, what it took to run the streets with the dudes that I grew up wanting to emulate. But I had a huge need to be accepted, so I found that I could be the party king. I did drugs really well, and I partied really well.”

WayNeedsWellsRunningKidsFoundPartyStreetsHugeGrewKingsDrugGrew UpDancingAcceptedBeing CoolEmulateMoxie
Author:Michael K. Williams
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