Michael K. Williams Reveals How 2Pac Helped Him Land His 1st Movie Role In Viral Clip

Actor Michael K. Williams tragically passed away on Monday (September 6). In the hours following his death, many took to social media to post touching tribute stories from their time with him, his acting roles and more.

One particular clip that has gone viral is a 2018 interview with PeopleTV, in which The Wire actor explains how Tupac Shakur played an integral role in him getting a shot in Hollywood.

MKW earned his first role thanks to Tupac, who vouched for him to play his brother in 1996’s Bullet. At the time, there were no auditions for the role, so it came down to ‘Pac taking a liking to his polaroid shot.

“[Tupac] saw me and my picture and saw that scar was like, ‘Yo, go find this dude, he looks thugged out enough to play my little brother,’” the late actor remembered.

here's the story of how tupac discovered michael k. williams and cast him in his first film role pic.twitter.com/uIfyinOrJl

— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 6, 2021

At the time of the movie’s filming, a neophyte Michael K. Williams didn’t know Tupac was instrumental in him getting the role until the Death Row legend told him the story of how he chose him based on his polaroid photo in between takes on set.

According to the New York Post, the Emmy-nominated actor and New York City native was found dead by local authorities inside his Brooklyn penthouse by his nephew on Monday. Reports believe a suspected drug overdose could be in play as the investigation continues.

The Brooklyn native is best known for his role as Omar on The Wire, but also starred in Lovecraft Country, Boardwalk Empire, 12 Years A Slave, The Gambler, Law & Order and more. He was 54 years old.