Episode notes
(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
At the very end of 2025, we lost Isiah Whitlock Jr. He was 71. He had been a working actor for a very long time. He got his first TV parts in the 80s, but started acting on stage well before then. Whitlock performed in movies like Goodfellas and Da 5 Bloods. And was well known for playing State Senator Clay Davis on The Wire.
When we talked with Whitlock in 2021, he was promoting the show Your Honor. A legal thriller starring him and Bryan Cranston that aired on Showtime for two seasons. During the conversation, he chatted with us about landing a role in Goodfellas, how he came to embrace his signature catchphrase, playing complicated characters and much more.
A version of this interview originally aired in January 2021
In this episode...
Guests
- Isiah Whitlock Jr.
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Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.
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