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Wallace (The Wire)
Encyclopedia
Wallace is a fictional character
on the HBO drama The Wire
, played by actor Michael B. Jordan
. Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer for the Barksdale Organization
, who works in the low-rise projects crew known as "The Pit" with his friends and fellow dealers Bodie Broadus
and Poot Carr
. When information he provides leads to the brutal death of Brandon Wright, the boyfriend of stick-up artist Omar Little
, Wallace feels guilty and tries to leave the drug trade. He informs on the Barksdale Organization to the police, and as a result is killed by Bodie and Poot under orders by drug kingpin Stringer Bell
.
and Bodie Broadus
under D'Angelo Barksdale
through the entirety of season one. He shows the signs of a half-finished education — he can identify famous people on currency better than the rest of his crew (including D'Angelo, who objects when Wallace correctly points out that Alexander Hamilton
was never president), but sometimes struggles with the math involved with drug dealing. He also takes responsibility for numerous younger drug dealers in the projects, housing them in a squatter's apartment
, packing their lunches, seeing them off to school and helping them with their homework. He betrays his age when he is found playing with toys while supposed to be on lookout duty.
After Omar Little
robs the pit crew's stash of drugs, Wallace spots his accomplice Brandon playing pinball and calls this information in. Stringer Bell
grabs Brandon and tortures him to death. His body is left on display, coincidentally outside of Wallace's home. Wallace receives a quarter of the $2000 bounty on Brandon's head, but is so sickened by the event that he decides he wants out of "the game". He approaches D'Angelo and tells him he wants to go back to school. D'Angelo gives him his blessing and some cash. Poot discovers that Wallace has spent the money on drugs and is spending most of his time at home getting high.
Wallace is picked up by the police and agrees to cooperate with the Barksdale detail, revealing Stringer's involvement in the killing of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. In order to keep him safe until the trial, Wallace is sent to live with his grandmother in rural Cambridge
. After detective Kima Greggs
is shot in an undercover operation, the detail becomes so preoccupied with her condition that Wallace is temporarily forgotten. Bored with life away from Baltimore, he returns to the low-rise projects and asks to get involved in the trade again. Stringer Bell becomes suspicious of Wallace's return. D'Angelo tries to reassure Stringer of Wallace's loyalty, but Stringer is not convinced and assigns Bodie to kill Wallace. Bodie and Poot get him cornered, and Wallace begs for mercy because of their friendship. Bodie first taunts, then hesitates, unable to bring himself to pull the trigger. Poot urges him on and Bodie finally shoots Wallace, only to leave him severely wounded and dying a slow death. Poot takes the gun and finishes him off.
D'Angelo is outraged when he learns of Wallace's death. It is one of the main factors that leads D'Angelo to want to leave "the game" himself, and it drives a permanent wedge between him and Stringer. In season three McNulty finds the crime scene photo from Wallace's murder and he and Roland Pryzbylewski share a look.
, who grew up in the same hometown with Jordan in Newark, New Jersey
. Jordan was asked instead to audition for the younger character Wallace, and was cast in the part.
Jordan did little preparation for the part, but used his experiences growing up on the streets of Newark
, New Jersey
, as a way to prepare for the role. Jordan said, "I live in an area where there are lots of drug dealers and I know some people who may or may not sell drugs, so this is not new to me." The actor found out his character was going to be killed one week before it was filmed. Series creator David Simon has described Wallace as an emotional center to the show's first season and praised Jordan's performance, saying that he was sorry the character had to leave but that the story comes first. Simon sees the character as an illustration of the adage "a 14-year-old drug dealer is still 14."
Amos Barshad of New York
magazine called Wallace's death "one of an overwhelmingly bleak show’s bleakest moments". MSNBC
reporter Michael Ventre described it as "perhaps the most memorable (scene), and one that illustrates The Wire in microcosm." The character remained memorable years after his departure from the show. During a January 2008 premiere party for the fifth season
of The Wire, Simon read the names of every notable cast member in the show, and media outlets reported the loudest cheers came for Jordan and the recognition for his portrayal as Wallace.
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 actor Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan
Michael Bakari Jordan is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as teenage drug dealer Wallace on the HBO drama television series The Wire, for his role as Reggie Montgomery in All My Children, as quarterback Vince Howard on the NBC television series Friday Night Lights, and since...
. Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer for the Barksdale Organization
Barksdale Organization
In the television series The Wire, the fictional Barksdale Organization led by Avon Barksdale began as the most powerful and violent drug crew in Baltimore, Maryland and was the main focus of investigation in seasons one and three...
, who works in the low-rise projects crew known as "The Pit" with his friends and fellow dealers Bodie Broadus
Bodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
and Poot Carr
Poot Carr
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him...
. When information he provides leads to the brutal death of Brandon Wright, the boyfriend of stick-up artist Omar Little
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
, Wallace feels guilty and tries to leave the drug trade. He informs on the Barksdale Organization to the police, and as a result is killed by Bodie and Poot under orders by drug kingpin Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
.
Biography
Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer in the Barksdale crew's low rise projects organization (called "The Pit"). He serves with Poot CarrPoot Carr
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him...
and Bodie Broadus
Bodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
under 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...
through the entirety of season one. He shows the signs of a half-finished education — he can identify famous people on currency better than the rest of his crew (including D'Angelo, who objects when Wallace correctly points out that Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
was never president), but sometimes struggles with the math involved with drug dealing. He also takes responsibility for numerous younger drug dealers in the projects, housing them in a squatter's apartment
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, packing their lunches, seeing them off to school and helping them with their homework. He betrays his age when he is found playing with toys while supposed to be on lookout duty.
After Omar Little
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
robs the pit crew's stash of drugs, Wallace spots his accomplice Brandon playing pinball and calls this information in. Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
grabs Brandon and tortures him to death. His body is left on display, coincidentally outside of Wallace's home. Wallace receives a quarter of the $2000 bounty on Brandon's head, but is so sickened by the event that he decides he wants out of "the game". He approaches D'Angelo and tells him he wants to go back to school. D'Angelo gives him his blessing and some cash. Poot discovers that Wallace has spent the money on drugs and is spending most of his time at home getting high.
Wallace is picked up by the police and agrees to cooperate with the Barksdale detail, revealing Stringer's involvement in the killing of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. In order to keep him safe until the trial, Wallace is sent to live with his grandmother in rural Cambridge
Cambridge, Maryland
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality...
. After detective Kima Greggs
Kima Greggs
Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a police detective in the Baltimore Police Department who is a dedicated officer and capable detective with some off-the-job issues. Openly lesbian, she has had problems...
is shot in an undercover operation, the detail becomes so preoccupied with her condition that Wallace is temporarily forgotten. Bored with life away from Baltimore, he returns to the low-rise projects and asks to get involved in the trade again. Stringer Bell becomes suspicious of Wallace's return. D'Angelo tries to reassure Stringer of Wallace's loyalty, but Stringer is not convinced and assigns Bodie to kill Wallace. Bodie and Poot get him cornered, and Wallace begs for mercy because of their friendship. Bodie first taunts, then hesitates, unable to bring himself to pull the trigger. Poot urges him on and Bodie finally shoots Wallace, only to leave him severely wounded and dying a slow death. Poot takes the gun and finishes him off.
D'Angelo is outraged when he learns of Wallace's death. It is one of the main factors that leads D'Angelo to want to leave "the game" himself, and it drives a permanent wedge between him and Stringer. In season three McNulty finds the crime scene photo from Wallace's murder and he and Roland Pryzbylewski share a look.
Behind the scenes
Michael B. Jordan auditioned before The Wire casting director Alexa Fogel in New York City for the role of Bodie. He was called back twice and the auditions went well, but he was turned down for the part because Fogel thought he was too young. The part went to Jordan's friend J. D. WilliamsJ. D. Williams
Darnell "J.D." Williams is an American actor with starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz and The Wire, in which he appeared as Preston "Bodie" Broadus...
, who grew up in the same hometown with Jordan in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Jordan was asked instead to audition for the younger character Wallace, and was cast in the part.
Jordan did little preparation for the part, but used his experiences growing up on the streets of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as a way to prepare for the role. Jordan said, "I live in an area where there are lots of drug dealers and I know some people who may or may not sell drugs, so this is not new to me." The actor found out his character was going to be killed one week before it was filmed. Series creator David Simon has described Wallace as an emotional center to the show's first season and praised Jordan's performance, saying that he was sorry the character had to leave but that the story comes first. Simon sees the character as an illustration of the adage "a 14-year-old drug dealer is still 14."
Amos Barshad of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine called Wallace's death "one of an overwhelmingly bleak show’s bleakest moments". MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
reporter Michael Ventre described it as "perhaps the most memorable (scene), and one that illustrates The Wire in microcosm." The character remained memorable years after his departure from the show. During a January 2008 premiere party for the fifth season
The Wire (season 5)
The fifth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it contained 10 episodes...
of The Wire, Simon read the names of every notable cast member in the show, and media outlets reported the loudest cheers came for Jordan and the recognition for his portrayal as Wallace.