When AllHipHop.com first interviewed Jamie Hector in the Spring of 2005, he was beginning to make his mark as drug lord Marlo Stansfield on The Wire. Like his quiet, watchful character, Jamie is a man of few words – but when he does speak, people listen. While Jamie is definitely as ambitious as Marlo, the young actors intentions and motivation are anything but evil. He is preparing for new film roles, and is the leading man in R&B singer Monicas latest video. We also talked with him and his manager Ally Roberson about Jamies budding career, and most importantly, his gracious work teaching children the art and business of acting. AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about how Marlo developed into really being a big boss? Jamie Hector: As you see Tristan [Wilds] evolve as Michael, thats the same way Marlo evolved. I think Marlo always saw himself as a boss and nothing less. He was always that confident to understand that this is the position that he was gonna hold. Like most of the youngins that youll find in the hood, they walk around like they got S on their chest and nothing less, which I dont knock either. They know theyre popping, they know theyre the man, they know they cant be hurt or injured. The only difference between them and Marlo, is Marlo is aware of the fact that he can be hurt or injured, so before he makes a move he talks about it to the right people. Every step is calculated. The thing about Marlo is, the minute he decides to change his style up, hell change it up. Some people get out the game, then they get back in the game because this is all they know. If [Marlo] chose to change his profession or the way he lived, he would change it. Hes not the person that would come back to the scene of the crime – they always say you commit a murder and come back to that scene. No, hes not coming back. If hes going to Africa, hes gone for good. Thats the interesting thing about him. With a character like Marlo, theres only two sides to the coin, youre either in it or youre not. Hes not gonna ride that line. Thats why he told the security guard, You want it one way, but its the other way. AllHipHop.com: Marlo was kind of a lone wolf in a lot ways, he ran on his own and didnt really have trust for a lot of people. What was going through Marlos mind having to really come to grips with [working] with the Co-Op ? Jamie Hector: What was going through his mind was that he didnt really wanna do it. What was going through my mind was that I didnt trust anyone except for my partner Chris, hes like my brother. Any one of them slipped and they would have to get dealt with, so what was going through my mind was to keep the eagle eye over everybody. AllHipHop.com: It seems the way that Marlo reacted to most situations was with a gut reaction, obviously with the Co-Op you couldnt do those kinds of things as quickly. How do you think it is for Marlo to have to deal with taking things step by step instead of just doing what comes naturally to him? Jamie: The thing I like about Marlo is he always went and got wise counsel. He always went to someone that was older than him and that walked the walk before him and got counsel from that person, then went and applied it and decided what he was gonna do. He actually really didnt start respecting Prop Joe, but he understood his position – and Prop Joe showed and proved that he had something that Marlo couldnt get at that time, which was valid information. When he proved that he could get the information then it was like, Okay, Im willing to work with you, but until then you gotta show me something thats difficult for me to get. If I cant get it then youre making yourself useful by being able to give it to me. AllHipHop.com: At the end of this season the police were getting a lot closer to Marlo, but they still havent been able to pin it down 100%. Do you think that going into Season Five that Marlo is going to have to watch his back a lot more, or do you just think hes gonna get even smarter and keep it moving? Jamie: I know hes gonna have to watch his back a lot more, and I think he is gonna get smarter. I think he is real smart, thats the reason why hes been able to last so long. The things that he decides to do are different from what the average cat will do. No shining, drinking or smoking, and most gangsters, this is what they do. They get money to floss and spend on shorties, get drunk, smoke it out, gamble or just show and prove that you have it. Marlo chooses not to do that. AllHipHop.com: If Marlo had gone to college, what do you think he would have been if he didnt have to choose crime as a lifestyle? Jamie: If Marlo went to college, he would definitely be in business. He would probably not be in politics because theres too much red tape, but hed probably bully the game like Donald Trump, Don King, or even Bill Gates. As Bill Gates did, somebody came up with the formula, he took it and perfected it and jetted with it. He monopolized the game, for you to work you have to come through Bill Gates for almost everything. Given that opportunity I think Marlo would have definitely took it the distance like that. AllHipHop.com: As an actor how does [the success of The Wire] play into the roles that youre going choose? What are your goals? Jamie: Definitely to stretch. Given the opportunity to stretch, you always take it as an actor and just have fun with parts. It could be a gangster part, as long as its a part that I can have fun with and enjoy. Something meaty, but if its one-dimensional Im not gonna rock with it. Im always attracted to the life of a cat that starts from nothing and makes something great or becomes something. You see the development of the dudes life, whether hes a gangster and then he turns into a Bill Gates, or he deals with redemption or just a everyday guy going through his hardships in life and overcomes, Im down for it. If the script is tough you could see me doing it, I could be down to a crackhead [or a] dope fiend, as long as it gives me the ability to stretch. AllHipHop.com: We saw you as the sexy leading man in Monicas video [A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)]. How did that come about? Jamie: Management extraordinaire, Ally Roberson. Its funny, because I always dug Monicas style and the opportunity came. [Director] Chris Robinson was supposed to work on [The Wire]. They had to figure out who they were gonna use for the part with Monicas love interest – my name came up and it was just like, Yo, shout him out. Nine times out of ten I always want to read the treatment [this time] I didnt even bother reading the treatment. I was like, I know what this is about. Most shorties nowadays make a song, and its definitely throwing shots at a Black man. AllHipHop.com: It looks like she genuinely likes you in the video – you guys had a nice little chemistry Jamie: Monica genuinely has love for everyone, its gonna come across like that [because] thats a sincere girl. AllHipHop.com: What are your plans for the next few months? Jamie: Im sitting on these scripts, a couple of projects Im looking at. I dont really like to talk about the projects too much, I like to do them and let them come out. I can tell you this much though, a couple of people that Ill be working with soon is Jay-Z and James Caviezel. Look out for that soon, Ill be working with them in a minute. You can check out Blackout, a film I did with Jeffrey Wright. Its about the black out that took place [in 2003] in the United States, it hit part of Canada also. Its just how we dealt with it in Brooklyn, the ups and downs and the lives of the little people, and how we had to deal with what took place. A couple, [Zoe Saldana and her mate] it shows how they dealt with it, Jeffrey Wright, myself, Michael B. Jordan and director Jerry Lamothe. Its basically shot as a day in the life of Flatbush, Brooklyn during the blackout. Prodigy is also in it. AllHipHop.com: I know a mission of yours has been speaking with kids about various things. What are some experiences that youve had where a child told you that youve affected their life in some way? Ally Roberson (Jamies manager): He has his own organization for kids, GBU [Give Back University] where he finds kids in the community, basically in Brooklyn, but they come from all over now. He used to teach them drama, so now he has his own organization where they put on different productions and just learn the arts. The kids basically spread word of mouth, and the hardcore not-trying-to-hear-nothing-from-nobody [kids] come through looking for Marlo, because they wanna learn if they can do this too. Its a beautiful thing if you do pay attention to whats going on in the community and how it is affecting kids. Whats portrayed on in [The Wire] is happening in every city and its real. Then you have somebody who is single-handedly making a difference in individual lives, its almost like one kid at a time. You kinda just reach out to them and let them know, Look you can do other things, you can do this and the kids begin to take themselves seriously. Theres so many of them and it is funny, they go on and then they bring other kids back. You see these straight up hood looking kids sitting there talking about, Yeah so I think I need to go get some new headsets, my resume needs to be updated. I got an audition At first they make jokes about it, but after theyre there a few weeks [they say] So am I gonna go check out that agent? Jamie whats up? He hooks them up with different filmmakers, because hes done a lot of work with different filmmakers from NYU and Columbia and they just know him. So when theyre looking for talent for student films and things like that, thats how these kids end up getting their experience. You have one of these kids that went on and became the lead in The Lion King. Theyve all been to [Diddys] studio and recorded, theyve all been performing for Russell Simmons, and its like a quiet movement, because [Jamie] doesnt talk about the stuff, he just does it and the kids get used to moving with it. Its kind of a beautiful thing to see. AllHipHop.com: What was your favorite movie of 06? Jamie: I dont think I had a favorite one that I liked, its a whole bunch that I enjoyed like Apocalypto, Akeelah and The Bee was a very good film to me, I really enjoyed that project right there. I really enjoyed this one film called Half Nelson, it was a indie film. ATL was smooth, I liked that. AllHipHop.com: Are you making a rap album? That seems to be the running theme right now. Jamie: Nah, Im a leave it to the dudes that know how to do it. I used to get busy myself, some people try to do it for a buck but I love the art. I used to write and I had one foot in that and one foot in this. Theres some people that do it marvelously, I respect the people that understand what they can do and do what they do the best. Ill leave it up to them, I just love to listen to it and support. Ill go buy the albums. Right now Im down to create films and tell some stories.