Interview: Glynn Turman On 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' Chadwick Boseman, 'The Wire'

(CBS Local)-- Glynn Turman's legendary acting career has spanned six decades. The 74-year-old first sprung onto the scene in the 1975 film "Cooley High" as Leroy "Preach" Jackson and then made a name for himself with roles in "The Wire" on HBO as Mayor Clarence Royce and "A Different World" as Colonel Bradford Taylor.

Turman was most recently nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards for his role alongside Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." He also got to work with Chris Rock in "Fargo," where he stole scenes as Doctor Senator. CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith chatted with Turman and the two discussed the late Boseman, why "The Wire" is the best show of all-time and the actor's marriage to the late great Aretha Franklin.

"Denzel Washington came back stage after seeing the show [Ma Rainey's Black Bottom] one evening and he said 'hey man, are you ready to do this on screen,'" said Turman. "He said I want you to be a part of that too. A couple of years later that came to fruition. Denzel came through with it and put together another magnificent cast. It's something the entire world gets to see now. That was another wonderful journey I was blessed to be a part of."

"Chadwick did pour everything into it, especially under the circumstances," said Turman. "That's what set it apart to a degree. I didn't expect anything less from Chadwick and I was a fan of his work because he always brought the goods. I don't want anyone to mistake that he was given some special treatment for this particular piece. No one knew he was dealing with what he was dealing with. Under other circumstances, he would have brought his very best game to this production, which he did."

In addition to his many great roles, Turman was a staple on ViacomCBS' Showtime for five seasons on "House of Lies" with Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell and Ben Schwartz. While Turman has had many great TV roles over the years, nothing compares to his time on "The Wire."

"After my run with The Wire, I would go in for other parts in other productions," said Turman. "I would be talking with the producers and talking with the directors of other productions and inevitably along the line in that meeting, someone would say enough of this, let's talk about The Wire. I was in the room for another 20 minutes talking about The Wire. Everybody loved The Wire. It was so well written and so smart. It's not a bad piece to have under your belt as one of your projects. The Wire is just so unexpected."

In addition to all his on-screen roles, Turman is constantly getting questions from folks about what it was like to be married to Aretha Franklin. The two married in 1978 and got divorced in 1984. The legendary singer and songwriter passed away in 2018 at the age of 76. Turman will always remember Franklin's sense of humor.

"She loved to tell jokes. She had a great comic sense and great comic timing," said Turman. "She loved to tell jokes. They would tickle the hell out of me and she thought they were funny and sometimes they really were and sometimes they were corny as hell."