Winston Duke Says the ‘Spenser Confidential’ Dog Pooped on His Arm: “We Got Really Close”

It will likely be of great interest to fans of Winston Duke that he spends a not-insignificant amount of time in his new Netflix film, Spenser Confidential, cuddling with a dog.

The Black Panther actor—who turned heads as the fierce and fiercely good-looking Wakandan warrior M’Baku and then again as the adorable dad in Jordan Peele’s Us—is now playing a character that fans of ’80s cop shows will likely remember. Directed by Peter Berg, Spenser Confidential, which is on Netflix today, stars Mark Wahlberg as a private detective named Detective Spenser. The character was invented by author Robert B. Parker, who wrote over 40 novels about him, but he is best remembered from the ABC crime drama, Spenser: For Hire, which ran from 1985 to 1988. Duke stars as Hawk, Spenser’s partner-in-fighting-crime, played in the series by star Avery Brooks (best known as the captain from Deep Space Nine).

While Brooks was all dark sunglasses and intimidating one-liners as Hawk, Duke’s version is a little gentler, a little more spiritual, and a lot more of a dog lover. Spenser, who has been in prison for five years, comes home to find that not only is Hawk his new weird roommate who drinks oat milk, but in Spenser’s absence, Hawk has been bonding with Spenser aging dog, Pearl.

“Oh yeah, we had chemistry,” Duke told Decider in a phone interview. “That’s my road dog!”

Decider chatted with Duke about that canine chemistry, finding his version of Hawk, and his upcoming projects—including Black Panther 2, which is set to release in May 2022,  and his new sci-fi drama, Nine Days, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival last month.

Decider: I watched the film last night, and I thought it was a really fun buddy movie between your character, Hawk, and Pearl the dog.

Winston Duke: [Laughs] Best buddy cop movie ever! We actually say that Spenser didn’t do anything. It was just me and Pearl. Pearl’s a really special one. We got pretty close, me and that dog. She even pooped on my arm, because she’s an old one. So we got really close while shooting.

Wow, that’s an impressive level of trust.

Completely, completely! I was picking up what she was laying down—pun intended. [Laughs.] Terrible dad joke.

Do you have a dog in real life?

I don’t have my own dog in real life. I just haven’t had the time for a pet. I feel like it’s such a large responsibility that needs you to be present. I wouldn’t be able to handle having a pet in my everyday life, so this was a cool opportunity to live out the pet dream.

Let’s talk about your character, Hawk. How familiar were you with Hawk from either the Spenser: For Hire TV show or the novels before you came onto this film?

I wasn’t familiar with it at all, actually. I didn’t know there was a TV show or novels. I was pitched this project by Peter Berg—he called me, told me how much they really loved my work, and that they were doing something special and new. [He said] it was going to be fast, loose, and that we were going to find it as we go along. Mark called and said similar things, and expressed how much they wanted to work with me. I abide by the sentiment of going where you’re wanted and working with people who like you. So I was like, “Yeah, sure, let’s do it!”

Did you get the chance to watch any episodes of Spenser: For Hire?

I did, but after the fact, though. I just watched episodes like two weeks ago. I didn’t want to watch the show because I didn’t want anything that the previous characters did to influence my performance. But I did know what Avery Brooks meant, because my lawyer was like, “This character meant a lot to us in the ’80s. There weren’t a lot of brothers on TV who were so cool, confident and proud of their masculinity, their color, their culture. That was Hawk.” The more and more people kept telling me, I realized there was an entrenched community of people who loved Spenser: For Hire. Now, after watching some of the episodes, I understand why. It was a really cool show and envelope-pushing, for its time.

Avery Brooks had all these cool one-liners—very ’80s crime show. But I felt like you had a gentler take on Hawk. How did you find Hawk the character, your version?

My version was that Hawk is a child of the now. He’s a child of the social media age. He has access to a lot of information, and he knows how to wield it. He’s very much aware of his place globally. He has a sense of spirituality that isn’t defined by any particular religion. The people growing up today, they’re totally aware in a different way, because they’re so connected. They have more empathy, because they realize that their experiences aren’t just theirs, they’re part of a large community. I wanted that to be Hawk’s narrative.

And I wanted Hawk to have a really strong sense of cultural confidence. That was manifested through his depiction of his hair. I wanted that hair to be super-specific. Once a week I’d sit there for six to seven hours while they did my hair, and it was an extension, so it actually hurt. They were like pulling my hair to try to attach it to some extensions to make that cornrow braid.

So that’s a style that you chose for the character?

That is a style that I, Winston Duke, chose for the character. We had conversations about how Hawk is represented in the world. He chooses to use a lot of color against a Boston landscape backdrop that’s a lot of black, white, and gray. You know, he’s very much clear and confident in who he is, no matter where he goes.

Let’s talk a little bit about your human costar, Mark Wahlberg. What was it like working with him?

He’s not human, he’s a beast! It was really great. I learned a lot from him you know, just as a person. He’s a huge superstar, and he’s an even bigger superstar in Boston. To watch him navigate that was a masterclass in how to handle fame—how to juggle just being a regular man, husband, and father. He would leave set and fly home back to Los Angeles every Friday, and fly back on Sundays to start shooting with us. He would check in every morning on Facebook with his kids. It was really cool to see that that’s possible. Sometimes it doesn’t feel possible to have a life of your own and govern yourself in this business. It was really great to have an example of a person who is doing that.

Just one last question about you and Pearl the dog: The moment that stood out to me is when you’re meditating with her, such a specific and weird moment. Where did that come from?

That was all improvised. We just wanted a moment. I was like, “I’ll just do some reiki on the dog!” I looked up you know what to do, watched some videos, and then I practiced on Pearl. And she actually relaxed!

That’s amazing. Now you can use that on a dog if you ever have one.

I’ll use it on humans first! [Laughs.]

I have to ask: I know it’s a ways out, but what can you say about Black Panther 2? Have you seen a script yet at this point?

I have no updates. I’m still waiting to figure out more info. Disney and Marvel doesn’t share or leak anything. I’ll probably find out probably a little bit earlier than you, but they keep it mum’s the word. Mum, mum, mum!

Is there anything that you personally just would like to see for M’Baku in the next Black Panther?

No. I mean, I trust Ryan Coogler and I trust Marvel. They really care about those characters so they’re going to do well by them.

What about the possibility of a sequel to Jordan Peele’s movie Us?

I’ll tell you, probably not. He has expressed no real plans of doing sequels for those movies. They exist so well on their own. They’re all statement pieces and narratives that exist in their own worlds, independently.

You have another film you have coming out this year: Nine Days with Zazie Beetz. Can you tell me a little bit about that movie?

Oh yes, it’s a beautiful movie by Edson Oda. It’s his directorial debut. The film was inspired by the story of his uncle. When his uncle was 50 years old, and Edson was 14, his uncle committed suicide. His family then labeled him a pariah, they didn’t talk about him. All they told Edson was, “Don’t be like your uncle. Your uncle was weak.” Essentially this man’s entire long, beautiful life was defined by one action, one moment. As Edson got older, dealt with some of his own mental depression, he started researching his uncle and essentially envisioned an afterlife scenario. It was an afterlife existence of his uncle with a job to interview spirits for the opportunity to be born, to have life. I play the character that’s inspired by that uncle. I play Will, the interviewer. My job is to interview those spirits for the opportunity of life.

It’s a beautiful movie. It’s an interrogation of life, an affirmation of life. It’s really beautiful, poetic, strong, and gorgeous. We won the [Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award] at Sundance. It’s been recognized. It’s just something that I don’t think a lot of people realize that they needed it until they saw it. It’s one of those experiences.

I can’t wait to see it. Do you know when we might be able to see it in theaters?

Hopefully this fall. Nothing’s confirmed, but we have locked down distribution with Sony Pictures Classics. We’re working on that.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Watch Spenser Confidential on Netflix