Topeka native Antwayn Hopper recently made his debut on season three of the ABC show “Will Trent” as Rafael Wexford.
Hopper’s character, Wexford, who is known as a dangerous criminal and gang leader in the community, is the prime suspect in the shooting of two Atlanta Police Department officers, one of whom died. The show is based on the “Will Trent” novels written by Karin Slaughter.
The main character of the show — Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Will Trent — had just made the difficult decision to fulfill his law enforcement duties by arresting his ex-girlfriend. That decision led Trent to end season 2 by going on a six-month hiatus from the GBI.
Trent’s hiatus ends soon after the start of season three after Hopper’s character Wexford called for Trent to return to Atlanta and the GBI to help him since they were childhood friends.
Rafael Wexford is a bold role for Hopper
Hopper had the opportunity to audition for the show without warning via a video call. He said it was a great opportunity, because typically film is sent in, and actors are never sure of how they may have performed or if their tape was even viewed.
“They said that Rafael is on the couch, and he’s surrounded by cops outside of his house. So, I had my ‘moo moo’ on, which is lion print, and I had a bright yellow bonnet because I have my extensions. So, I said, ‘Let’s do it,'” said Hopper. “And I got in the middle of in front of the screen and she’s like, ‘Oh.’ I was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it!’
“And I loved it because even though I looked loud, I still played him very, very masculine.”
In addition to being known as a dangerous criminal and gang leader in the community, Hopper’s character Wexford is gay and a single father to his daughter Sunny.
“So, I knew right then the juxtaposition of that was a win-win, and I knew it was bold,” Hopper said. “I knew no one else was going to be man enough to wear a moo-moo and a bonnet and still be able to be seen and heard as a man.”
In a SubReddit post about “Will Trent” titled “I’m liking Rafael Wexford,” viewers shared their thoughts with such comments as “He’s so sweet with his fam and a big crime boss who wears nail polish? Yeah! I love his whole vibe and so nice to see some of Wills backstory through him.”
“I loved at the end of the episode when he went from friendly and flamboyant to ice cold head gang leader. He plays that character so good!”
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’
Hopper said when he met Ramon Rodriguez, who plays Will Trent, Rodriguez told him Rafael Wexford was his idea to honor a well-known actor and friend. That’s when Hopper knew he had to give the role his all.
“And he said, it’s based off of Michael Williams, my dear friend who passed away a few years ago. And he said, Michael Williams was in ‘The Wire.’ He said, that was my first thing. I played his lover. I said, ‘Oh my God!'” Hopper told The Capital-Journal.
“He said: ‘When I saw your audition, you reminded me of him. … Our whole theme for this season is not judging a book by its cover. That’s why we wanted you to keep the nails and the hair.’ And I was just honorable so when he expressed that to me. I kind of took on ownership of Rafael.”
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Topeka native was ‘prepared for anything’
“I feel like I can be prepared for anything thrown my way because I’m used to learn things quickly and I’m used to embodying things quickly by the grace of God,” Hopper said. “And I think that has to do with the components of musical theater which includes singing, dancing and acting.”
“So, there’s no such thing as I am overwhelmed by what a character calls for.”
Hopper graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 and has been in several big stage productions, including the Grammy-nominated, 2020 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning show “A Strange Loop,” The Capital-Journal reported in March 2023. He also starred in the film “A Thousand and One,” starring Teyana Taylor.
Bob Ross, chief marketing officer with The Greater Topeka Partnership, said Hopper’s “success on TV and Broadway is a shining example of how great careers can begin with a strong foundation right here in Topeka.”
