Speaking of character's deaths, it certainly seemed like Chris was disappointed that he wasn't the one who took out Omar. Were you disappointed that your character didn't get to have that final confrontation?
Part of me was, honestly, because I was looking for it for like over two years. From the moment that Chris was put on the show, I was told there was a good chance this was where it's heading - Chris and Omar, Chris and Omar. I went, "Okay, this could be good." But, as far as the writing aspect of it, I thought it was fascinating that they had Kenard do it. I thought that was very interesting. So the selfish part of me wanted to be the one to blow Omar away, but the writer in me was fascinated by what they did do.

We thought you had him when he was pinned down in the apartment.
Ah! We should have had him. Don't even tell me.

We know you won't tell us anything, but we have to ask - what can we expect from the last episode?
Chris actually runs for mayor, he gets his law degree in prison. No, I'm just kidding. The last episode, you can expect a longer episode. With the montage and everything, we're granted a little more time. They're trying to fit 13 episodes worth of material in 10 and they've done the best job you can with that. So it's going to be pretty interesting. I won't give you any details.

Being a part of The Wire for so long, what was it like to see it come to an end?
It was weird. It ended like any other season doing that show. It didn't really hit me that we weren't coming back. It still hasn't hit me that we aren't coming back. But also, I was very grateful to have been a part of that show, even considering that we're not coming back. It's a rare occurrence to have that show on television and to have been a part of it for my first television job was a blessing. I didn't have any regrets and I wasn't sad at all. I was grateful.

Since it has been overlooked by the Emmys and never really received the credit it deserved, how do you think the show will be remembered?
I think it will be remembered as one of the best television shows that ever was. It's funny because with it being neglected or ignored by the awards organizations, they kind of sealed it in history. They helped that. I know that us not getting awards and nominations helped bond us as a cast because with all that out the door, all we were left with was to be really appreciative of the work. I think, with the years, people will start to see it and pick it up and realize, if they didn't catch it, what they missed and hopefully they'll get into it.

It's not an easy show to get into, to be honest. It requires a great deal from the viewers. It's not like one of those shows you can pick up and watch and then forget about. It does haunt people. I've been told by many people that they couldn't sleep after watching it, not necessarily because of the violence, but because of the ramifications of how deep what they saw affects them because of how real it is in real life.

As an actor, what is it like to film those violent scenes? Does it weigh on you emotionally to film such dark moments?
To be honest, yeah there's residue, especially when I first started doing the show. There be a lot of negativity leftover after filming, but as I grew as an actor, I became better at coming in and out of that; being there one moment honestly and then leaving that time, especially considering the material, especially considering my role on that show. You can't carry it with you or else you'll go crazy.

What does the future hold for you now that The Wire is wrapped? What's on the horizon for you?
I'm currently doing a play at the Flea Theater in Lower Manhattan called Lower Ninth. It's about Katrina 24 hours after it hit. I have a movie out in theaters right now called The Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman and Philip Bosco. It was just nominated for two Oscars last week. And I'm about to start production on a film called The Taking of Pelham 123 with Tony Scott, Denzel and John Travolta.

In The Savages, Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play a sister and brother, correct?
Yeah, they're a brother and sister in a dysfunctional family and they haven't seen their father in years. He's actually the one that made them dysfunctional. They're called to get him after he starts becoming demented and losing his mind. They put him in a home. I play an aid in the home that looks out for the father. All Laura's relationships with men in the movie are kind of off and twisted until she comes and she's visiting her father and she kind of opens up to me. Towards the end she kind of misconstrues the little camaraderie that we're having and, you have to see it. It gets kind of funny and sad.

It was fascinating to see Philip work and Laura and to be in scenes with them. Shortly after the movie, I started working with Philip's theater company in New York, it's called LAByrinth Theatre Company and that was great. There are so many talented actors and writers and directors in that theater company and Phil was very kind to invite me to work with them. It's been great working with these people.

And what can you say about The Taking of Pelham 123?
It's a remake of a movie that was done in the 70s, a hostage film type situation. I play one of the hostages. It takes place underground in the train systems of New York. I can't say too much about that because they haven't released the script or too much information about it, but it's going to be pretty exciting, especially with John Travolta and Denzel and Ridley Scott directing it of course.

How often do you get recognized and what type of response have you gotten from fans?
Every day, several times a day. People show love; they love the character, they love the show. A lot of times people say, "I love you on that show but you've got to die. You're too mean." Also, I get approached by a lot of drug dealers, I get approached by FBI agents, cops and detectives, lawyers, teachers, old, young, white, black, many different demographics. They come up to me and they tell me what they think about the show, which is great.

What do you do to unwind? What kind of hobbies do you have?
I like to run when I can. I like to wrestle. I wrestled in college and I still wrestle when I can. I haven't wrestled in a few months because I just had shoulder surgery to repair an old wrestling injury from college. I like to wrestle, I like to read and I like to write.

How good of a wrestler were you in college?
Most outstanding wrestler my senior year.

When you say you still wrestle, where do you compete?
There are some open tournaments. Some of the collegiate tournaments are open. There are some pre-pre-qualifiers for the Olympics, some tournaments that qualify for pre-qualifiers and so on. And there are wrestling clubs around the country that sponsor tournaments. I sometimes go and wrestle in the New York Athletic Club, that's the local one here. When I get an opportunity though, it's not something you can just pick up, it's not like a pickup basketball game, it's all-encompassing. I love it, but it takes up a lot of time and body and sometimes I don't have both to commit to it.

Have you now gotten to a point where people are recognizing you while you are competing in these tournaments?
Yeah, that's weird. I did a tournament a few months ago and I'm wrestling and there was just all different ages, from like five to a limitless age, and there's little kids on sides of the mat when I was wrestling in the finals and they're yelling, "Come on, The Wire. You can do it, The Wire." (Laughs.) It's weird. And then my opponents wanting to take pictures afterwards. That was pretty interesting. I had never experienced that before.

What would you be doing for a living if you never got into acting?
Probably be writing or maybe still working for the government, because I liked my job, I liked what I was doing.

I worked for the Corporation for National Service, which was the headquarters of AmeriCorps and VISTA social service programs in the United States. They were doing their things and I worked in the congressional affairs department and I'm fascinated by politics and world affairs. But definitely writing, maybe I'd even be a good writer.

Tell us something most people don't know about you.
A lot of people know that my family's Nigerian, but more specifically, my family's Yoruba, which is one of the larger ethnic groups there. And I speak almost none of the language, but yet I speak Spanish, which is strange.

How did that happen?
I lived in Mexico for a while. I studied abroad there and I went back a number of times and I picked it up. My Spanish is very Mexican though. Everyone keeps telling me that.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, March 2008. The season finale of The Wire airs Sunday night on HBO. The Savages is in select theaters now. For more information on Lower Ninth or to purchase tickets, visit The Flea Theater's website.