Photo By: Rowena Husbands

thaFormula.com - First off, let's get into your upcoming movie "Blackout." Break that down because I feel that it is an important movie…

Jamie Hector - "Blackout" is a film directed by Jerry LaMothe with actors Jeffrey Wright and myself as well and its basically about the black out that took place in 2003 throughout New York and parts of Canada and its a nice film about the life of the people in Brooklyn where the blackout occurs. It's basically about how a couple faces the challenges of a blackout and how they grew when the blackout went on and their experiences during the blackout. How they came together, how some separated. I'm basically the guy in the neighborhood that takes advantage of a blackout when it occurs and these people are just trying to keep their lives in focus while the blackout takes place. It takes place I believe in like a day and a half or two and it was interesting because when the blackout took place as soon as it happened the director called the cinematographer and said "listen, grab the camera and let's film 'cause I already feel a movie in this." So when he gave the script out I read it and I was like "wow," I loved it immediately. I told him "let's run with it as well." I believe everybody else said the same thing." As a matter of fact Samuel Jackson's wife is also involved in it the project, it was a lot fun.

thaFormula.com - Was there a lot of things that happened in the blackout in NY that the media didn't show?

Jamie Hector - That's exactly the point also. There are a lot of things that did take place in the blackout that the media didn't show. Murders, looting and more. The media showed those that were helpful and those that were being helped. There was people that died and couldn't see anything' cause it was so dark. We finished filming the movie already. It's going through the process of editing and that's it, it should be out later this year.

thaFormula.com - Did your role in "Oz" play a big role in you being cast for The Wire?

Jamie Hector - No not at all.

thaFormula.com - So you auditioned for the 3rd season of "The Wire" right?

Jamie Hector - Yeah, I auditioned for the part of "Cutty" and they turned around and said I was too young for the role so they told me to go and read for "Marlo."

thaFormula.com - So after your first season how did you feel about the role and did you feel at that time that is was something special?

Jamie Hector - I knew from season 1 that it was something special. I knew there was something about this that was remarkable, I dug it. I liked season 2 because they show and prove in season 2.

thaFormula.com - After you got the role did you ever see yourself eventually taking out the Barksdale crew and becoming one of the main characters in the show?

Jamie Hector - As an actor looking at the script you tend not to know where you are going. With a movie script you can read it from beginning to end and know what's gonna happen before it happens, with a show you read the first episode and then you can assume the rest of the way and you may be wrong. So with that in mind I had no idea. I mean I had no idea it was gonna go down like that.

thaFormula.com - Are you surprised that through 4 seasons now you guys have gotten critical acclaim for the show from so many people but no nomination or awards whatsoever?

Jamie Hector - No, I'm not surprised. The thing about it is that I know it's a good show. I know it's amazing. It's like certain songs that don't get nominated and certain songs that do get nominated baffle me so I'm just like "whoa," you know? So it's not surprising to me no more that great things get overlooked. It would be great if the people would receive it and everything with awards and all that, but the thing about it is we know the quality of the show is amazing the way it was put together and if it's not recognized today, it will be recognized 5 years or 10 years from now. It's gonna be a classic for such and such time. It's not that I'm not surprised as though it wasn't a good project, it's more so that I've seen this happen before so it didn't surprise me. But I know that we were supposed to get nominated. It's not hard to tell, you can't overlook it. You can't read the New York Times or the Washington Post and not see the acclaim that it gets.

thaFormula.com - I mean I scratch my head after every season wondering how this show has not won the awards that a show like "The Sopranos" has seeing that it is the best show on TV?

Jamie Hector - Me personally, I value the show and I understand that other people value the show based on what they say and write. But sometimes certain things are more politics and this is what it is. I'm not really one that's gonna be involved with that, I'm more just trying to do the work. But I'm not surprised it wasn't acknowledged or anything because you know, I mean this person knows person, this person does this or that for that person, so you got to be in the mix you know? The thing about "The Wire," is this show is not in California so we are under the radar. In time everything will come because the writers and directors will proceed to make great work.

thaFormula.com - Being from Brooklyn, were you surprised at how bad certain parts of Baltimore really are?

Jamie Hector - Baltimore, Detroit, Philly, brothers got it hard. You always find a way to come out, there is a lot of roses that grow from concrete, but it's not a surprise to me you know. Not too much surprises me but at the same time it was a revelation that we got a lot of work to do. It wasn't surprising though because the hood is the hood no matter where you go.

thaFormula.com - Did it bother you at all that HBO had told you guys the show was not gonna be picked up after season 3?

Jamie Hector - I've seen shows get on the air and the second episode they get knocked off. I seen shows with money placed into it, billboards, commercials, trailers and everything go into it and get knocked off as though it was never even in the running. I got my time to express myself in that one season. I wasn't that it was gonna get knocked off or anything like that, I was more so happy that it didn't. I was like "alright if it does get knocked off at least the opportunity came" you know?

thaFormula.com - Has the last 2 seasons of the wire opened a lot of doors for you that weren't there before?

Jamie Hector - Yeah, you know it's surprising how many people love the show. It's amazing how many people behind the scenes love the show also. It opened a great deal of doors. One thing I got to throw out there is if you don't like to read then forget about this craft because its script after script after script and a lot of them are not good and a lot of them are not bad so you have to read them all. You have to read them more then once. The ones that you enjoy, you read them 3 or 4 times.

thaFormula.com - How many scripts do you usually go through man?

Jamie Hector - I mean, I go through a lot of scripts you know what I mean? I've got like 4 sitting here now.

thaFormula.com - At what point in your career did you hook up with Ally for your management and at what point would you say an actor should look at getting management?

Jamie Hector - At a certain point in my career before I got this show, I had my manager, but that's not usually how it works. An actor usually has an agent then you get a manger. 'Cause the agent will go out and submit you for work and then you go in and you book the job and boom. But once your career starts to take off, you know you need that guidance. Someone to say "this is how you wanna see yourself, this is how I wanna see you," lets move in that direction. It's not easy work.

thaFormula.com - I ask because I have seen certain actors with not much talent get to very high levels in the game while others with ridiculous talent never made it to a certain level. It makes me wonder is it because they made the right choices or is it because there management made the right choices for them?

Jamie Hector - It's a collective effort. It's never one person. If your gonna be always cool on camera then your gonna do yourself a disservice. You've got to get down and dirty. So if you got someone that's telling you you've always got to be Mr. Cool, then they are guiding you in the wrong direction. That's why you have to come together with which direction you want your career to go.

thaFormula.com - What do you recommend people do when trying to taking this acting craft serious man?

Jamie Hector - Study it. First study the craft, but don't neglect the business 'cause its show business. So number one study your craft. But that's not even my rule number one. My rule number one is giving it up to God. That's my rule number one. Rule number two is study your craft.

thaFormula.com - Who is the most important person to have around you when starting out?

Jamie Hector - The agent and the manager. They are gonna basically know of the work and submit you for the work. They have the relationship with people.

thaFormula.com - Should you always have someone there to negotiate for you when you get your role?

Jamie Hector - Yeah, I don't bother doing all that because I'd rather focus on the work.

thaFormula.com - Now the Hip-Hop industry is known to be very cut throat. From your experiences is the movie industry very similar?

Jamie Hector - You receive your payment on time in the acting industry. If you have to do a job, when it comes down to finances they send you your money. There is no union in the music industry. You have no union that's gonna sit there and fight for your money or fight for what's yours.

thaFormula.com - So you have seen how people get done sometimes in the music industry then?

Jamie Hector - Yeah because the music industry is like the block. It's starting to get closer to no rules.

thaFormula.com - Do you still plan on doing a lot more TV besides "The Wire" or is movies something you are looking to get into more now?

Jamie Hector - I wanna focus on the work so if it's TV or film, let's go. There is great TV. You got "24," "Prison Break," "The Wire." It's funny 'cause you never know where your gonna end up in life. You can try your best to strategize it all, but when you roll the dice, God decides where they land. You never know where you're gonna end up.

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