Alma Gutierrez
Encyclopedia
Alma M. Gutierrez is a fictional character
on the HBO drama The Wire
, played by actress Michelle Paress
. Gutierrez is a dedicated and idealistic young reporter on the city desk of The Baltimore Sun
.
five months before the fifth season begins after working for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
. She is eager for the chance to prove herself and is enjoying her new career. Her abilities have already caught the attention of city desk editor Gus Haynes. Gutierrez lives with her boyfriend.
is disparaging about the credit she received and the credentials of the paper as a whole but Gutierrez remains upbeat.
Gutierrez usually covers the police beat and is excited when she reports on a home invasion and triple homicide. She awakes early the next day to look at her story in print, but is disappointed to find that it has been edited down and buried within the paper. Haynes tells her that it was a bureaucratic mishap, but her colleague Mike Fletcher tells her the piece was cut because of the area where the victims are from. Gutierrez is worried when buy-outs are announced to cut costs at the paper, but ultimately has more opportunities as veteran crime beat reporter Roger Twigg accepts a buy-out.
Without Twigg's expertise and contacts, Gutierrez struggles to find sources to provide analysis for a story about Mayor Tommy Carcetti
replacing police commissioner Ervin Burrell
. Gutierrez also works with the city desk team to prepare a last-minute story about the Clay Davis
corruption case which was initially missed because there is no daily city court reporter on staff.
, who played D'Angelo Barksdale
.The part is Paress' first major role on screen, having previously worked primarily on stage. Paress submitted an audition tape expecting to be considered for a smaller role and was asked to play Gutierrez by executive producer and head writer David Simon. Paress describes her character as ambitious, principled and light hearted.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the HBO drama The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
, played by actress Michelle Paress
Michelle Paress
Michelle Paress is an American actress. She starred in the HBO program The Wire as reporter Alma Gutierrez. Paress joined the cast in the show's fifth season. She is married to a former star of the show, actor Larry Gilliard Jr.-External links:...
. Gutierrez is a dedicated and idealistic young reporter on the city desk of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
.
Biography
Gutierrez joins the staff of The Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
five months before the fifth season begins after working for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. She is eager for the chance to prove herself and is enjoying her new career. Her abilities have already caught the attention of city desk editor Gus Haynes. Gutierrez lives with her boyfriend.
Season 5
Gutierrez submits a story about a fire in a row house and is embarrassed in front of the whole newsroom by her editor Gus Haynes and copy editor Jay Spry, who take her to task over her use of the word evacuate. Gutierrez is also assigned by Haynes to get a reaction quote from drug dealer Ricardo "Fat-Face Rick" Hendrix after the editor notices a lucrative real estate deal between Hendrix and the city council. Gutierrez is sent to Hendrix's strip club Desperado and comes back with a strong quote. She receives a contributing line in the story for her efforts. Her colleague Scott TempletonScott Templeton
M. Scott Templeton is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Thomas McCarthy. The actor joined the starring cast as the series' fifth season began.-Biography:...
is disparaging about the credit she received and the credentials of the paper as a whole but Gutierrez remains upbeat.
Gutierrez usually covers the police beat and is excited when she reports on a home invasion and triple homicide. She awakes early the next day to look at her story in print, but is disappointed to find that it has been edited down and buried within the paper. Haynes tells her that it was a bureaucratic mishap, but her colleague Mike Fletcher tells her the piece was cut because of the area where the victims are from. Gutierrez is worried when buy-outs are announced to cut costs at the paper, but ultimately has more opportunities as veteran crime beat reporter Roger Twigg accepts a buy-out.
Without Twigg's expertise and contacts, Gutierrez struggles to find sources to provide analysis for a story about Mayor Tommy Carcetti
Tommy Carcetti
Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Irish actor Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious Baltimore politician who rises from a seat on the city council to the office of the Mayor of Baltimore, and to the office of the Governor of Maryland by the...
replacing police commissioner Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of the show...
. Gutierrez also works with the city desk team to prepare a last-minute story about the Clay Davis
Clay Davis
State Senator R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes...
corruption case which was initially missed because there is no daily city court reporter on staff.
Production
Paress is married to former The Wire star Larry Gilliard Jr.Larry Gilliard Jr.
Lawrence "Larry" Gilliard, Jr. is an American character actor who has appeared in films, television series and theatre. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of D'Angelo Barksdale on the HBO drama series The Wire, a role which earned him much critical acclaim.Gilliard was born in New York City...
, who played D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore...
.The part is Paress' first major role on screen, having previously worked primarily on stage. Paress submitted an audition tape expecting to be considered for a smaller role and was asked to play Gutierrez by executive producer and head writer David Simon. Paress describes her character as ambitious, principled and light hearted.