As William “Bunk” Moreland on “The Wire,” actor Wendell Pierce probably had his greatest role yet as the hard-drinking yet dedicated homicide detective on the critically acclaimed show. That is, if you’re talking about his work as an actor.

In real life, this son of New Orleans is playing an even greater role as a conduit to rebuild his battered community, almost destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Pierce's neighborhood, Pontchartrain Park, the first black subdivision in New Orleans, is in the process of rebuilding, thanks to a government and community partnership aimed at helping people move into new homes being built in the area.

Pierce is president of the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association and an active one at that – even down to helping get patrols increased when an elderly couple was killed in their home. But most of the news out of the neighborhood is positive. Two hundred homes with green technology are scheduled to be built starting in August. Pierce will buy the first one. And in a case of art imitating life, Pierce will star in “Treme,” a new David Simon series for HBO about post-Katrina life in New Orleans.

We caught up with Pierce - where else? - in New Orleans to find out what’s next for him, on- and off-screen.

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BlackAmericaWeb.com: After five seasons on “The Wire,” what was the transition like for you?

WENDELL PIERCE: As an actor, after a while, you grow accustomed to going from one job to another. You have those highlights in your career that define your career and will be a highlight for you, too. It’s all about the work that you do and the people that you meet. I felt as though I was part of some very special work on “The Wire.” I met some very special people and made lifelong friends. After that, you hope to capture lightning in the bottle again and keep your chops up. But you’re also able to approach better material because people associate you with better material. I’m seen in a different light as an actor.


So, what have you been up to lately?

I’m sitting in a boardroom right now going over budgets and service agreements and timelines for construction on Pontchartrain Park. Then I’m going to fly out and do the Cartoon Network show, “Tim and Eric’s Awesome Adventures.” I just finished doing an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s new show, “HawthoRNe,” and then I’m headed to the American Black Filmmakers Festival in Miami. After that, I’m going to Philly to shoot an independent film called “Stringbean and Marcus,” with Anthony Mackie and Sophie Okenedo.


What exactly is Pontchartrain Park, and why is it so important to you?

Pontchartrain Park is a post-World War II, middle-class black neighborhood completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. I put out a call to people in my generation who understood the benefit of growing up in a "black Mayberry.” This community was anchored by a golf course designed by Joseph Bartholomew. He designed most of the courses in New Orleans, but he couldn’t play on them. He wanted to build a course to share with the people that he loved and share the game the he loved. Pontchartrain Park was the only subdivision in the post-World War II era that allowed black people. Our parents didn’t scare us, but [the tight-knit] community came out of the necessity of these young families making sure that their kids were protected from these hostile white neighborhoods around us.
 
People knew the schedules of the kids. Walking down the street was like a relay – ‘How you doing?’ Where you going?’ .....

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