Brian Tyree Henry relishes 'Dope Thief'
The eight-part mini-series stars Henry as Ray and Narcos actor Wagner Moura as Manny, two Philadelphia friends who pose as DEA agents to rob trap houses. But when they raid an unknown rural house, they unleash a dangerous set of events that sees them running from a cartel as well as the police.
"There was so much about (Ray) that resonated with me. I saw this man that was dealing with generational trauma, trying to find a way to make it, trying to find a way to actually be cared for," Henry, known for films such as Transformers One, Bullet Train and Causeway, for which he earned an Oscar nomination, told Reuters.
"He allowed me to lay down a lot of my burdens that I had been carrying ... it was definitely another transition for me ... to elevate myself and how to deal with my emotions and deal with my abandonment, deal with my fear and deal with all those different things.
"And so, Ray was actually the first time in a long time that I felt like I had come home. He felt like a homecoming in a way."
At the heart of Dope Thief is the long-running friendship between Ray and Manny and how they deal with their struggles. It is based on the 2009 novel by Dennis Tafoya. However, the show drifts away from the book, series creator Peter Craig said.
"I liked that (Tafoya's) really got two novels in one. The second half is very internal, so I liked the idea of just using the first half and then having a lot of room for invention," he said.
Dope Thief premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday. Reuters
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