Why Dominic West Almost Left The Wire In Season 4

Like Idris Elba, one of the other major stars on "The Wire," Dominic West is a British-born actor who transforms into the tough-talking detective Jimmy McNulty, taking to Baltimore's heavy streets to suss out criminal activity. Although West stuck with the HBO crime drama for all five seasons, it was a job that eventually took its toll on his personal life. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times in February 2008, West revealed that his absence from the show's fourth season, which aired from September to December 2006, was something he'd personally requested.

"I really needed to get home and be with my daughter for a bit longer. So we talked about it a long time ago and David [Simon] said, 'I can let you go light in [Season] 4 as long as you come back in [Season] 5.'" The deal was made, but it was one that left West with a startling observation during his brief time being outside and looking in: "So, I took that time out, and it turns out it's by far the best season we did."

The choice to lay low in Season 4 proved to be one that West went on to praise Simon for when the attention, through the writing, shifted to other characters. "It was sort of in keeping with David Simon's audacity as a writer, that he'd lose one of the main characters," West explained. "But, God, he pulled it off. I thought he took it to another level; he really did."