When many see actor Michael Wright in person, he says people try to quote lines from some of their favorite characters. Michael Wright is best known for his role as Eddie Kane, Jr. in the 1991 Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats. Wright has been seen on the small screen as well in a number of shows including the 1983 NBC science fiction miniseries V, Miami Vice, and on the 1997 HBO series Oz as Omar White.
Many of Wright’s characters have been burdened with some type of substance abuse. His ability to play these characters with pinpoint accuracy is sometimes uncanny. But is that art imitating life or vice versa?
In 2012, Wright was reportedly trying to park his Rolls Royce in Manhattan when he smashed right into a patrol car that had two police officers sitting inside.
Wright was required to take a field sobriety test after the officers detected the smell of alcohol. The actor was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence. He’s since been seen off and on, in a drunk and/or substance influenced state.
But the actor is still currently working in different small screen roles in Hollywood.
When asked what it takes to play characters who are like this, Wright draws on his own experiences, “What makes drugs and alcohol appealing to those in show business?” asks Wright. “Is it the feeling that it gives you? Is it the effect of being ‘ready’ for anything? As schedules are jam-packed and appearances are many, there seems to be a need for some type of mojo in order to cope with it all.”
“But what’s the answer?” the actor continues. “The answer is love, love, love. Love is how we all can move forward.”
One thing that Wright loves is cooking! Yes, cooking! If you look at his Instagram, he has a number of different dishes that he’s prepared and eaten that he loves. Even one of his go-to cookbooks is The Joy of Cooking.
Wright is such a multi-dimensional man that literally drowns himself into each character in order for the audience–no matter if they are watching a screen or seeing him live and in-person–to feel every breath of that character.
While Wright lives a life that is free from dependencies like drugs and alcohol, unlike his characters, we examine how does one “cope” without becoming dependent on substances in real life? Here are five ways one can overcome:
1. Truth – Don’t lie. It is better not to lie by trying to make up some excuse like “no I just had some” because that will just lead the person peer pressuring you into their next sells pitch. Those who pressure you will usually arrive at the truth eventually, and if they don’t, they often will cause you to do something you wouldn’t normally do just so you can make your lie more believable.
2. Stand apart – There is no quicker way to make it clear that you are a follower than to use a drug that they know you are only trying because you pressured them to try it. People will respect you far more if you stand apart and…