A conversation with Michael Williams of ‘The Gambler’

Michael K Williams from The Gambler and Art Shrian

Michael K Williams from The Gambler and Art Shrian

It could be intimidating meeting the guy who’s not only “Chalky” of “Boardwalk Empire” fame but also President Barack Obama’s favorite character on “The Wire,” Omar Little. But in all honesty, Michael K. Williams is one of the most humble and charming people we’ve encountered from the Hollywood-sphere. In a moment, the man can go from being a menacing gangster or thug to a simple man who, with a smile, can turn your cold heart warm. Maybe it’s that alchemic ability that makes Williams’ one of the finest actors in America.

We had an opportunity to talk to him about his film The Gambler, which just released on Blu-ray / DVD on April 28, 2015. The following are excerpts from our chat with Williams:

Art Shrian: How did you approach the character and how much of yourself did you bring into the character?

The Roots Of... Michael K Williams Discovers His African Ancestry for Okayafrica TV. Reveal interview by Author Raquel Cepeda: "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina" Videographers: Emmai Alaquiva (www.emmaialaquiva.com), Rory Webb, Christina Choe, Doug Zajaczkowski Editor: Sam Bathrick for http://resonantpictures.com Okayafrica http://www.okayafrica.com http://www.facebook.com/okayafrica http://www.twitter.com/okayafrica Okayplayer http://www.okayplayer.com http://www.facebook.com/okayplayer http://www.twitter.com/okayplayer

Michael Williams: Neville (Williams’ character) is a businessman who just wants to live and enjoy life, who’s really intrigued by Jim’s (Wahlberg’s character) brutal honesty. He understood that Jim wanted to break free. Neville has everything in life, just like Jim, but he wants to live on an avocado farm, because he also wants to break free. The grass is always greener on the other side, that’s why he says, “A man can always change.” Neville has seen lots of hard times, he pulled himself out of it. He lives in a fake world where people cannot be trusted easily. I relate to that a lot!

Art Shrian: Talk to us about your charity and humanitarian work.

Michael Williams: I remember as a kid the free community centers to go to, which were safe havens for youngster and kids. I’m going to bring those back.

Art Shrian: What message do you want to share with New York about the current situation in country, with the recent incidents in Ferguson and New York?

Michael Williams: I think the first step is unity. It’s sad that it took this situation to create this unity, but now you see Black, white, Asian, Indians and every nationality out in the streets marching and showing their support. There has to be a dialogue and communication. People need to know that it’s OK to speak up and speak out. We have been made to feel that our voice doesn’t matter for so long. There has to be respect and humanity has to be restored.

Oscar Brings student academy awards

While covering the 2015 Academy Awards, the increased interest of film, among the younger generation was a topic of conversation.

That's natural in a town, like Los Angeles, that's packed to the gills with film students and aspiring thespians everywhere you look.

Hollywood is a company town and business is booming despite the many exciting platform changes, the desire to create and make movies will never diminish. It's storytelling and we've been doing that, "collectively" since the cave people huddled around a roaring fire and shared about their fears and dreams. 

In full disclosure, which is my nature, while covering the Oscars, this year, I was most excited about TEAM OSCAR (in it's third year) than I was about rubbing elbows with the famous and glamorous.

The Academy is packed with people who make things happen. Not idle talkers and one way they show their support for developing talent s with the Student Academy Awards. 

Good news, the Academy is now accepting entries for its 2015 Student Academy Awards competition. All Student Academy Award® winners become eligible for Oscars consideration.  

The 42nd Student Academy Awards presentation will be held on Friday, September 18, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Beginning this year, students are able to submit their films online using FilmFreeway, a widely used festival and competition platform. Also new this year, the entry deadline has moved to June 1, and the awards ceremony date has been changed from June to September to better align the competition with the academic calendar.

Complete rules and a link to the online submission platform are available at www.oscars.org/saa. 

Past winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Two previous Student Academy Award winners received 2014 Oscar nominations: J. Christian Jensen, a 2014 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination for Documentary Short Subject for “White Earth,” and Talkhon Hamzavi, a 2013 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination (with Stefan Eichenberger) for Live Action Short Film for “Parvaneh.”  Past Student Academy Award winners include such acclaimed filmmakers as Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Awards may be presented to student filmmakers in the following categories: Alternative, Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Foreign Film.

The Student Academy Awards U.S. competition is open to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students whose films are made within the curricular structure of an eligible accredited institution. In the Foreign Film category, eligible schools are allowed to submit one film to the competition.

The deadline to submit entries is Monday, June 1, 2015.  For a list of eligibility requirements, visit www.oscars.org/saa. 

In 1972, the Academy established the Student Academy Awards to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.

Disney gets bigger - if that is even possible!

I wonder if the late Walt Disney had a clue the growth of his empire that is built on a mouse with rather large ears and a few, goofy friends?

Can you believe that intellectual property has grown such a trillion dollar industry? 

Here is further proof, dear creatives, that you must create, protect and fight for your intellectual property because it's P R O P E R T Y and has value!

Just ask the brass at the Walt Disney Animation Studio who announced that their Academy Award®-winning Big Hero 6 became the #1 animated title of 2014 with more than $620 million globally. The film, which has earned $221 million domestically, also surpasses $400 million at the international box office this weekend.

Big Hero 6 continues to perform strongly in China, where it opened Feb. 28 and has brought in over $51 million, surpassing Frozen to become the highest grossing animated release ever from Disney or Pixar. In Japan, it has earned more than $75 million and is the second highest grossing Disney  animated release ever. It’s the second biggest Disney or Pixar animated movie ever released in Korea and Russia, and it’s the biggest animated release of all time in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Last weekend, Big Hero 6 surpassed Tangled to become the third biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios release ever globally, behind only Frozen and The Lion King. It is also Walt Disney Animation Studios’ third biggest domestic release of all time.

Big Hero 6 debuted in the U.S. on November 7, 2014. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and produced by Roy Conli, this action-packed comedy-adventure, inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, centers on the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada as they team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.

THE ART OF HOLLYWOOD IN NEW YORK

There are certain dinner invitations that are accepted immediately and calendars re-arranged to accommodate those dates, if there was a conflict previously on the calendar. 

Last night, in celebration of the upcoming film WOMAN IN GOLD, businessman, philanthropist and art collector Ronald Lauder and his wife Jo Carole—hosted such an event for the personnalité mundane.

The private dinner---at Lauder’s Neue Galerie in honor of Helen Mirren---followed the screening of the film at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

WOMAN IN GOLD stars Academy Award winner Helen Mirren. The film follows the true story of Maria Altmann (played by Mirren), who fought to reclaim Gustav Klimt’s infamous painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer back from the Austrian government.

The painting, which is of Altmann’s aunt, had been originally taken from her family by the Nazis. Altmann won her case and was given the painting back; it was eventually bought by Lauder, who is also portrayed in the film, and hangs today in the Neue Gallerie.

Gathered with the famous Klimt painting overlooking the private dinner guest included Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, Meryl Streep, Don Gummer Leonard and Judy Lauder, Barbara Walters, Clifford Ross, Queen Noor of Jordan, Lally Weymouth, Leon and Debra Black, director Simon Curtis, Emily Rafferty (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), Glenn Lowry ( MoMA) and Hosts Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder along with their daughter Aerin Lauder (their daughter).