What Actor Michael Kenneth Williams Eats for Breakfast

The actor talked to us about his morning routine

September 14, 2012

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Welcome to My Morning Routine, where we take a look at how people kick-start the day. And by "people" we mean celebrities.

Michael Kenneth Williams made a name for himself as Omar Little, The Wire's iconic stick-up man with an ironclad code, and he hasn't stepped out of the spotlight since. These days, Williams is playing Albert "Chalky" White on Boardwalk Empire, which premieres this Sunday, and has a major role in Brad Pitt's upcoming movie Twelve Years a Slave. And if you're not into TV or movies, you might still be able to catch him walking his dogs in Williamsburg. --Sam Dean

I'm usually up between 7 and 8 AM. I walk my dogs--two brothers I named Blackie and Brownie, but construction workers in the neighborhood renamed them Bark and Lickem.

From there I come back in and make a juice--I've been juicing lately--which consists of apples, carrots, beets, kale, strawberries and ginger. That goes with a side of oatmeal: a cup of milk, let it boil with the oatmeal, then add a teaspoon of peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins on top. And I'm off to the races after that.

What Actor Michael Kenneth Williams Eats for Breakfast

I just divorced myself from coffee. I'm already hyper, and I was finding that the ride is pretty but the drop was ugly--I didn't enjoy the crash too much. I grew up on tea, though. I like milk and honey in my tea--green tea. In the winter months, I do one in the morning, and one before I go to sleep.

When I'm working, I stay clear of the craft services. I learned that early on in my career: you gotta pace yourself. I remember when I first started, I went wild with the donuts and M&Ms. Now I eat the fruit, peanuts, and cashews, but always stay clear of the cookies.

My mother's from the Bahamas and I grew up in Flatbush, where there's a lot of West Indian culture. So I grew up on jerk, curry--anything Caribbean. Williamsburg, where I live now, unfortunately doesn't have that kind of stuff, so I got to go to Crown Heights or Flatbush to get that stuff. Gloria's on Nostrand is one of my favorite places. I definitely still go back to my roots.

My mom always worked, so I was a keylatch kid--I would make simple things I could whip up really quick. I'd get Spam and Steak-umms and old school Swanson's TV dinners and I'd doctor 'em up.

As I get older, though, I can't eat the same things I used to eat. I have cleaned up my diet a lot. I try to stay away from fried food, I cut out pork for personal reasons, I eat a little red meat, but basically just chicken and fish. I watch my starch intake, and although I love peas and rice with gravy, I'm cutting that down, too. I've learned the value of good vegetables.

(Credit: WireImage)