West Orange Students Get Visit From ‘American Gangster’: Actor Warner Miller

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Students at West Orange High School recently got a welcome visit from an “American Gangster” when actor Warner Miller returned to his Essex County roots.

Miller, a former student in the Irvington Public School District, is best known for co-starring in “American Gangster” with Denzel Washington and his role as “Tone” in the Netflix comic book series “Luke Cage.”

During his Jan. 12 visit, the actor got a chance to say hello to his former teacher, West Orange High School Choir Director William Farley, who helped him discover his talent for acting during his Irvington days.

Miller took time to speak with Farley’s students about his journey into acting, and described his younger self as "quiet and shy.”

The thespian recalled how he originally got into the theater in order to be close to a girl he liked, who was trying out for the school production of “Fame.”

Ironically, Miller was cast in a major role, while the girl was not. But all is well that ends well, he added.

“We did wind up getting together later on,” Miller told students.

Although Miller eventually graduated college with a business degree, he also studied acting and theater along the way. That’s when he realized that if he wanted to succeed in the acting field, he needed to buckle down and work hard.

“Here were all these actors with agents and degrees from places like Rutgers and NYU…I knew I had to be better than them to get the part,” he told students.

Miller got a lucky break and landed a role in an off-Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun,” attracting the attention of a Hollywood casting director. The casting director not only helped him get an agent, but set him up for an audition in what turned out to be his breakout role, playing Denzel Washington’s brother in the critically acclaimed “American Gangster.”

But lest you think that fame has changed his daily struggle to succeed in the film industry, think again.

“I’m not an A-List actor,” Miller said. "A-List actors have scripts sent to them. I still have to go out and audition regularly.”

And what was Miller’s final piece of advice for the West Orange theatrical hopefuls?

“I act because I love it,” he emphasized. “Do it because you love it. What you get out of it is what you put in.”

Photos: West Orange Public Schools

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com