An Ode to Great Actor Wood Harris
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Recently for our Patreon show "First Watch Rewatch", which you all should go and subscribe to and listen to, we watched the movie "Dredd". This is the newer one with Karl Urban, not the crappy one from the 90's. But I'm not here to give a review of that movie. If you want to know my opinions on the movie, go check out the show.
When I watch any movie for the first time, I always like to see if I recognize anyone in the cast. Karl Urban is the main guy, as previously mentioned, but there were a few others I noticed. Olivia Thirlby, from "Juno" and other movies, is Urban's co-star. Lena Headley, from "Game of Thrones", plays the villain. But it was the appearance of Wood Harris that had me hyped.
Wood Harris is about as dependable as they come in Hollywood, and if you are reading this and confused as to who this is, I would almost guarantee that he's been in something you've seen. And he is great as a villain in this movie. But as I was watching, I got to thinking about everything I've seen him in, and how much I like when he shows up in something I'm watching. So I decided I want to point out the stuff I remember him from today, and how much I like his performance and each thing I've seen him in.
For starters we have to talk about him in "The Wire". This is probably what he is best known for. He played Avon Barksdale, one of the dealers, who became a pusher and became a head honcho for the bad guys. He was in 38 episodes, which is most of the series. He was incredible in this role and he will always be remembered for this role. But he was in plenty before this role.
His first role was in "Above the Rim". This is a criminally underrated basketball movie. I adore this movie. I used to rent it on Pay Per View when I was younger. And his character made me nuts because he was trying to shoot the main guy. He got his comeuppance in the movie, but his performance left a mark on me. He played Jimi Hendrix in the movie "Hendrix". While this movie isn't great, he did a solid job portraying the seminal musician. "Remember the Titans" was, in my opinion, his star turning role. He went pound for pound with Denzel Washington in that movie. His performance made me cry for the first time watching a movie. I rooted for him so hard and wanted nothing but the best for his character. He is excellent in another underrated movie, "Paid in Full". That movie is filled with rappers acting, and doing a fine job, but Harris makes that movie solid. He brings brevity to that movie. He grounds it and makes it totally worth watching. He is the clear pro amongst first time actors in that movie. He also shows up in "Southland Tales". That movie is a total mess, but you could see Richard Kelly had a vision. While that may not have come across well on screen, Harris shows up and is totally worth watching. You can also tell that Kelly wanted some actors he could count on, and Wood Harris may have been the first person he called when he knew he needed pros in this fascinatingly wild movie. "Next Day Air" is by no means a classic movie, but it is a good comedy and it proved that Wood Harris could hold his own with guys like Mike epps. He is funny and fun to watch in that movie. I already mentioned him in "Dredd". He is in the first "Ant-Man" movie, playing one of Paul Rudd's buddies. Those characters were the best in the movie and they made me laugh the hardest. Harris was part of that crew and it bummed me out that he didn't return for any other "Ant-Man" movie. "Creed" is an amazing movie and Wood Harris seemed like a perfect fit in a movie about boxing. He is clearly athletic and he got to show more of that in "Creed". He is in "Blade Runner 2049", and he is a great addition to an awesome cast and great sequel to one of the best movies ever made. He returns in "Creed II" and he is back in fine form. He had a long run on the tv show "Empire", which my wife loved, but I barely watched. I would watch more when I would see Harris show up in an episode. He was the coach for a young LeBron James in "Space Jam: A New Legacy". That movie is not very good, but Wood Harris being named in the cast was reason enough for me to watch. He was on "The Last OG", which is a show I loved. He returned for "Creed III" and played Spencer Haywood in "Winning Time". While I don't like "Winning Time", Harris did a good job playing a fading star in the NBA in the late 70's. And he most recently showed up in "One Battle After Another" as part of the French 75. And while his screen time was minimal in that movie, it was memorable.
I think that's the best compliment I can give Wood Harris. He is always memorable in his roles. He does great work when he is cast. He is a consistent and dependable actor. And I just wanted to shout him out today. I feel like he is not mentioned as much as he should in Hollywood. I'm a fan and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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