David Simon, the creative force behind “The Wire” and “Treme,” has been known to cast locals in his community-centric shows and now he is giving longtime New Orleans anchor Michael Hill the unique opportunity to portray William Jefferson, a corrupt local politician whom Hill covered during his tenure at WGNO.
“It was odd playing someone I’d reported on extensively and interviewed,” Hill, who left WGNO last year, told The Times-Picayune in a recent interview. He went on to say:
How could I have ever thought I would be called on to play the man who became so infamous and the butt of every late-night comedian’s jokes. Not in a million years. But, it was fun. I got into character by drawing on what I had observed of the politician during the federal investigation and while he had sought another term in office. With his political world collapsing, he always seemed professional and unflappable and even unfazed by it all.