2. Felicia Pearson
For those of us who worshiped the show The Wire, Felicia Pearson is best known as “Snoop.” But her role as a cold-blooded criminal is not far from home for her, because she had a hard life from the moment she was born. She was born prematurely with prenatal cocaine exposure, as both of her parents were addicted to crack cocaine. She was placed in a foster home, but the man who raised her, Levi Pearson, died when she was only 12. Soon after, she dropped out of school and began dealing drugs.
In 1995, the 14-year-old Pearson was involved in a fight with a stranger. She pulled out a gun and fired at the stranger, killing her. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to eight years in juvenile prison. She decided to make a change in her life when her drug dealer mentor was shot to death. She earned a GED and was released early in 2000, at which point she tried to lead a steady life but went back to dealing drugs. However, a chance encounter with The Wire actor Michael K. Williams led to an audition and stardom. She recounted her life and experiences in her 2007 memoir,Grace after Midnight; she hoped to inspire others in hard situations, saying: “[It’s] just to let people know you can make it through your trials and tribulations . . . You can make it out of it.”
Discussion about this post