Wendell Pierce On His 'Elsbeth' Character And The Accolades That Really Matter
HuffPost
The legendary actor says his roles haven't gotten much industry attention during his 40 years in the business.
Wendell Pierce has been in the entertainment business for almost 40 years and has delivered powerful scenes with role after role. Pierce, 60, has graced our screens in shows and films like “The Wire,” “Brown Sugar,” “Suits,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and many more.
His most recent credits include the Starz hit series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and the CBS dramedy “Elsbeth,” which returns Thursday night with two new episodes. On “Elsbeth” ― which continues the story of Carrie Preston’s character Elsbeth Tascioni from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight” ― Pierce portrays Captain C.W. Wagner, a revered and charismatic NYPD leader. Wagner has a beautiful wife, Claudia Payne (Gloria Reuben), and a mysterious past, and wants to do right by his community. Pierce stars opposite Preston, whose Elsbeth is a zany attorney turned NYPD observer responsible for monitoring the department after a wrongful death lawsuit. Wagner and Elsbeth make for an interesting duo, with his straight-laced attitude and her wildly entertaining yet successful tactics.
Pierce says portraying Wagner is a bit different from the role for which he’s probably best known, Detective William “Bunk” Moreland on HBO’s “The Wire.” Bunk had a sharp demeanor and was far from a habitual rule-breaker, but he’d do so if it meant he’d be able to find justice. Wagner is more “forward-thinking” and “political,” Pierce told HuffPost in an interview. Though both characters work to protect their communities, audiences will see the possible hidden truths about Wagner as the season unfolds.
“I am trying to develop C.W. Wagner in the image of the men I know who have been where Wagner is before and have worked in law enforcement,” Pierce said. “I know those men exist, and I do it in their honor.”
HuffPost caught up with Pierce to talk about his role in the series, the values his late father instilled in him, and why it doesn’t bother him not to receive nominations and accolades in his decadeslong career.
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