Andre Royo catapulted to bigtime mainstream recognition as star-crossed heroin addict Bubbles on the classic HBO series “The Wire,” where he crafted a heartbreaking portrait of what was clearly a decent human overmatched by the pull of his addiction. Since then, Royo has consistently turned in eye-catching performances, often being much better than the film or TV show he’s starred in. (He’s been a recurring character on the stunted, repetitive hit hip-hop soap opera “Empire” this most recent season.) And in a year in which Black actors and actresses have collectively scaled unprecedented creative heights in Hollywood, the Afro-Latino Roy has turned in a career-best performance in the film Hunter Gatherer as Ashley Douglas, an ex-con whose return home from three years in prison goes nothing like he thought it would. The performance earned him the Best Actor Award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. But check him out in low-key mode as he narrates “The Lonely Giant,” written by rock icon Nick Cave.
Top photo courtesy John Arsenault.
