A storm descended on the GBI’s headquarters on Tuesday’s (February 18) new episode of Will Trent, as all of our heroes — plus one murderous bad guy — found themselves trapped by the tropical storm with no power and no way out.
Stuck in the middle of the flooding and carnage was Rafael Wexford, played by Antwayn Hopper, who has complicated relationships with almost everyone in the building, but especially Will (Ramón Rodríguez), who he grew up with in the foster system, and Amanda (Sonja Sohn), who’s caring for his teenage daughter but doesn’t trust him further than she can throw him.
Rafael’s connection to Will was first established in the Season 3 premiere but has since blossomed into one of the biggest mysteries of the show because, well, we still don’t know what it is that Will owes him. What we do know is that Will respects him enough to turn a blind eye to his gang leadership credentials and bring him in on a dead body recovery mission. But what else is there to know about these two?
TV Insider caught up with actor Antwayn Hopper to talk about bringing the fashionable and ambitious Rafael Wexford into the fold for his multi-episode arc and to find out what else is in store for this bundle-of-personality new character.
Can you talk about establishing the character dynamic between you and Ramon?
Antwayn Hopper: I found out that Ramon Rodriguez, along with the beautiful writers of Will Trent — I’m gonna say their names, Karine Rosenthal, Keith Lingenfelter, Britta Lundin, Inda Craig-Galvan, Juliette Lashinsky-Revene, and Hank Jones — came up with a beautiful idea [of Rafael]. Of course, Liz [Heldens] and Dan [Thomsen] are beautiful creators. They came up with this idea to introduce a new character to Will Trent. And it turns out this character is someone who took in Will Trent along with his grandmom, who’s played by the lovely Marla Gibbs. As you know, Will Trent was part of the foster system. So he left his actual foster family and he joined our little family of three, and that’s how Rafael Wexford came to be.
I will also say that the first day of filming, Ramon shared with me that he was loosely based off of his good friend Michael Williams from The Wire…. Sonja Sohn and Ramon Rodriguez were both on The Wire with Michael Williams. So already off the bat, I was completely floored as well as honorable to bring the character of Rafael to Will Trent.
Can you talk about crafting that scene you mentioned with the grandmother? There’s a fun dynamic of a feud but also familial love.
Episode 1, which is our season opener, starts off with a bang, literally. I had served time, my character Rafael — 10 years to be exact — and right before I went into prison, I had a baby girl, Sunny. And so this was our first time seeing each other since I served the prison term, and we have yet to figure out — I think it’s upcoming — why I served the time.
But that’s why Episode 1 starts off with a bang because not only is the GBI outside of my grandmom’s house, but two, “Get me with Trent.” It’s all about, “Give me Will Trent because I don’t have time and I have a friend that’s in the GBI who owes me big time. So you know what, let’s cut the small talk and just get me Will Trent.” And that’s how we started the season off, and he comes into the house and I just gave him a good old-fashioned Rafael Wexford welcoming and reminded him, “Hey, neck slice, remember me? You owe me.”
Are we going to find out what he owes him for? Because throughout the season it’s just teased.
Tune in. Tune in. I will say the good thing about Will Trent is that when they mention something, you best believe we’re gonna come back to it, and it’s very interesting how it’s going to come to that and what that story is as it develops, and that’s why that’s really exciting. I hope you guys all like it.
How much does the costume inform your portrayal of this character?
I want to say hi to Mary Jane [Fort], our costumer. It’s all Mary Jane. Stage or film, costumes, hair, the look… I went to Carnegie-Melon University, and there we learned a lot of the characteristics that come from outward in. So for this role, his outer actually lends itself to his inner self. So I will be very honest and say that I have had a stake in everything, and I’m thankful for Will Trent, the cast and crew and producers and ABC and Disney for trusting me. And so Mary Jane and I have started this beautiful, beautiful clothing love affair. And when I tell you, just wait. Y’all, wait, wait, wait ’till you see the rest of the season, that’s all I have to say.
But we knew that Rafael Wexford was going to be a very, very, very, very new character introduced to the world. We of course have Billy Porter and Pose. We have True Blood, we have P Valley, but you don’t have another Rafael Wexford, and it starts with the clothes and the hair and the looks. So I owe it all to Camille Friend, who does our hair — she’s Oscar-nominated for Black Panther — and then we have Mary Jane, and then we have Lisa Layman over in the makeup department.
Another character who’s big on style is Sonja Sohn’s Amanda. In this latest episode, she’s caring for Sunny, so there’s friction there. Can you talk about creating that sort of found family feud with her?
Talk about an odd relationship! So as you guys know, Rafael Wexford is the CEO of the Piedmont Kings here in Atlanta, Georgia, and Amanda’s role is the director of the GBI… So imagine this ex-convict who just got released from prison with the GBI out in front of his lawn all of a sudden handing over his daughter to be safe with the director of the GBI. And then I end up coming to her house, which played in Episode 6. I came to her house thinking that I was an invited guest, and I found out that I was actually uninvited, and my daughter Sunny, played by Kyrie [Mcalpin], kind of fibbed a little bit, and so that’s where we picked up Episode 6 when Amanda comes home. It is very cold right now, our relationship, but it is an interesting and real-life situation.
I actually asked our person we speak with on set, who is the I guess you could say the overseer with anything that happens with the GBI, “In all of your years — and you don’t have to speak to specifics — but would a GBI director take in an ex-convict’s kid?” And he said, “Yeah, it actually happened last year where one of our directors adopted three kids of a person who had to go into prison.” And I said, “Really?” He said, “Yeah, it’s a human aspect,” and that’s kind of the theme for this season.
Speaking of Rafael being in places where he’s not necessarily welcome, in Episode 7, he’s in the station during the hurricane. The character is very comfortable while there are other characters who aren’t. How did you approach that?
Rafael Wexford is the big man on campus, and he knows what’s up, and you’ll never see him sweat. And that’s what I love about Rafael. You never know what move he’s going to make. He’s unpredictable, and it takes a lot to scare him. But the good news about Rafael is he has integrity, and he has heart. So we kind of see a little softening of Rafael, and yes, there is an awkward stance between my character as well as Gina Rodriguez’s character, and yes, that’s during the hurricane. It’s kind of funny.
There’s a point where Will confronts Rafael about the watch. He’s taking on the role of the loan shark. What’s coming with that, and what’s the dynamic between Will and Rafael at this point?
It’s kind of tricky because, well, it’s a known fact, but my brother served time in prison, and he’s turned his life completely around, but can you imagine my dad, an ex-military person who’s head of infantry of Department of Corrections in Kansas [reacting]? So I’ve kinda had some behind-the-scenes actions growing up, seeing it in real life. But it’s all to say, yes, Will Trent is a detective with the GBI and Rafael Wexford is actually on their list of very important convicts… What we’re realizing is that there are dual relationships going on.
There’s the foster part of it, and then there’s the professional, and what’s working itself out is, “Don’t ask any questions, Will Trent, we’ll be just fine. You handle your business, I’ll handle my business.” And as I said in Episode 2, “I will do whatever I need to do to make sure that my daughter has a better life than you or me,” and I just hope everyone remembers that. The actions may not be perfect in one’s eyes, but at the end of the day, he’s taking care of his daughter and he’s making a way out of no way.
As he declares in the episode, he’s ready to take over the Grove Park Boys next. Knowing what happened to Sunny last time, is he afraid of putting her in danger again?
That’s the good news about [Sunny living with Amanda]. Don’t forget my original babysitter for Sunny got shot and she died. So after that happened, and after Sunny was kidnapped, it’s a win-win situation. You would think strategically he would deny Sunny living with Amanda, but he’s all in, and he trusts Will. And there is a bond there, there’s a brotherhood, and we actually touch upon that in the upcoming episodes. Without giving anything away, there’s a lot of flashbacks and a lot of questions being answered… That’s what I like about Rafael and the writers — you think you know but you really don’t.
This character seems like it was originally set to be a two-episode arc. How much more are we going to see of this character going forward?
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. It was supposed to be three episodes, and by the grace of God and Ramon and Howie Deutsch and Liz and Dan and all the other people, I don’t wanna say how much or how many times, but I will say that Rafael’s story, it gets told. And I really am very excited because think about it, how many relationships do we have on primetime television between a straight man and a heterosexual gangbanger? It really opens our minds to the possibility and the realization that it does not matter one’s skin tone, one’s sexual preference. Love is love, and it’s a beautiful thing, especially a bond shared between two brothers who happens one to be a convict and the other one a GBI agent.
Reading between the lines there, it seems like you do think there’s a familial connection between them?
Oh yeah. We spent a good part of our years — when [Will and Rafael] met, I was 18. He taught me how to fight, he taught me how to fend for myself, I taught him how to get a checking account, I taught him about style, I gave him couth, believe it or not. And we both have a love for General Hospital and monster truck shows, so.
What else are you working on? What else can fans look for you?
Well, my home away from TV is theater, the stage. I’m very excited about a little show. I can’t say the title, but remember, Macavity’s not there [wink]. So I’m looking forward to the fall. And who knows if Rafael will return to Season 4!
