"Just So Real": Lawrence Gilliard Jr. On The Deuce And David Simon

Just about every part of The Deuce, HBO’s new flagship drama that premiered this weekend, has the feel of an Oscar-level movie. Between a star-studded cast headlined by James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the lightning-sharp dialogue typical of David Simon and George Pelecanos, and the massive-scale recreation of the scumminess of 1971 Times Square,  The Deuce has a cinematic vibe from top to bottom.Simon and Pelecanos, who previously teamed together on HBO’s Tremé a