A few words about the late Lance Reddick
The actor was best known for John Wick and The Wire.
Movies are stuffed with throwaway roles. The ones where you could swear the person playing them was notable, but the name wasn’t landing in your mind. By the end of the movie, you’d forget all about the conundrum. Lance Reddick never had that effect.
The actor died suddenly Friday morning at his California home at the age of 60, too young of an age for a guy who could pass for 45. The cause of death is said to be natural, which is a cruel twist when it comes to taking a good soul.
I didn’t have to know Reddick in real life or speak to him in order to know that. Sometimes, you just know. Who could forget his soulful presence in whatever movie or television show he popped up in? While other actors got lost in those throwaway roles-the smaller roles that could be trampled by the lead cast members-Reddick never did.
Take the John Wick movies for instance. Most actors couldn’t take a role like Charon, the concierge who works with Ian McShane’s Winston at the Continental (the hotel for killers that didn’t allow killing). Whether it was the simple words, “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Wick,” or becoming a man of action in the sequels, Reddick added weight and gravity to the role with the way he spoke and the eyes he created laser beams with. Most of the time, he didn’t need the words.
HBO fans can’t forget his Lieutenant Cedric Daniels from The Wire, a stern yet fair law enforcer in Baltimore trying to improve his city amidst local government politics and gang-related crime. Whenever he appeared on screen, conviction followed. He made it count. All of it.
Death can hit in a wave that no one sees coming, whether you knew the person or not. I watched Reddick in the latest John Wick film this week, and would never think he’d be gone before the film was released. His role in Chapter 4 was small yet potent, a specialty he showed off in TV shows like Bosch and big budget movies such as Godzilla vs Kong.
Hollywood lost a great one. But like I’ve always said, the movies and TV shows Reddick was in aren’t going away. They’re still here and should be savored. If you needed a reason to binge Wick or The Wire, it’s sadly fallen into your lap this weekend.
It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Reddick.