‘The Deuce’: Gbenga Akinnagbe On Joining The HBO Series As Larry Brown

Gbenga Akinnagbe has said that he didn’t have any hesitations about taking the role of Larry Brown on HBO’s “The Deuce.”

In a video interview released by the network, Akinnagbe revealed that he has always been impressed by David Simon and George Pelecanos’ works, so when he first heard about “The Deuce,” he knew that it’s going to be a great one.

“I did not have any apprehensions about taking this particular role,” Akinnagbe said. “The type of writing that comes from David’s shows [and] George’s shows — I know that they’re not interested in telling those cliché stories. I don’t think there’s any sensationalism in their storylines and the acting or the clothes. A lot of the clothes were from the ‘70s, they’re not recreations. George … was obsessive about getting the details right.”

Akinnagbe knows a thing or two about Simon and Pelecanos’ storytelling because he had previously worked with the duo on HBO’s “The Wire.”

“That’s my ‘Wire’ family. I love working with them,” Akinnagbe told Shadow and Act when asked why he decided to work with Simon and Pelecanos on “The Deuce.” “I grew up on TV working with them, so they’ve influenced how I tell stories, the stories I like to watch and be a part of. Aside from that, we all remained tight even off screen for years. Knowing the quality of the work that David and George do, I knew that this show would give an interesting perspective to people who are easily dismissed as one sided criminals on TV — pimps, hooker, gangsters. And also, the time period, the ‘70s — those clothes, come on.”

Akinnagbe’s Larry is an intense and demanding pimp who physically intimidates his stable of sex workers but also has moments that betray a conflicted, underlying humanity. One of the women who work for him is Darlene (Dominique Fishback). “I think Darlene learns fast,” Akinnagbe said of what he thinks of Fishback’s character. “I think she’s had to in order to survive. [And] sometimes it means playing Larry.”

In this week’s Season 1, episode 3, Darlene works overtime to compensate Larry. But Larry isn’t thrilled with Darlene working for extra hours.

“The Deuce” Season 1, episode 3, titled “The Principle Is All,” airs on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.