Isiah Whitlock Jr. at home with 'Cedar' role as Midwesterner

ONE OF THE year's most enjoyable supporting turns belongs to Isiah Whitlock Jr., who goes hilariously against type in "Cedar Rapids," out on video this week.

Veteran character actor Whitlock actually doesn't have a "type" (he was on "Law and Order" 10 times as 10 different people), but he's best known for his recurring role as street-fighting politician Clay Davis in "The Wire," a career-making performance.

He was so good in "The Wire" that it's hard to imagine him living contentedly in the Midwest, happily selling insurance to Rotarians - his job in "Cedar Rapids."

But the truth is, his role in "Cedar Rapids" is a lot closer to Whitlock's actual biography. He grew up in Indiana and Minnesota, and has to work to suppress his natural accent.

"All you have to do is talk to me for a little while, and you figure it out. Something always kind of creeps out - a little bit of Indiana gets into the nose," Whitlock said, laughing.

It helped land him his job in the "Cedar Rapids" ensemble, featuring Ed Helms as a cloistered, naive insurance man overwhelmed by the characters (Whitlock, Anne Heche, John C. Reilly) he meets at a regional insurance convention.

Heche is a cougar, Reilly a drunk, and Whitlock the decent guy who takes Helms under his wing.

It's not a huge role, but Whitlock really wanted it, because it's such an unusual part for an African-American.

"We almost never see this character on screen, and we do see him, we make fun of him.

"But we shouldn't. He's a kind gentleman who has very good values; he's very respectful and responsible," Whitlock said.

Director Miguel Arteta wanted to cast actors who knew small-town or Midwestern life (Heche is from Ohio, Reilly from Chicago, Helms from Georgia), who could make the characters funny without making them the target of cheap laughs.

Whitlock, though, presented the movie with a problem. In one scene, his character bails out his friends by doing an impersonation of Omar from "The Wire."

The joke (strange but true) was in the script before Whitlock was hired, and caused some anxiety among the filmmakers, who worried that audiences would be whisked into some postmodern state of confusion.

"I liked the joke, but my first reaction was they're either going to get rid of the joke or get rid of me.

"When it comes down to it, get rid of the joke. The kid stays in the picture," Whitlock said.

The joke stayed, and so did Whitlock, and when the movie was tested that scene never failed to get the movie's biggest laugh.

Whitlock said his "Cedar Rapids" role, stacked next to his work in "The Wire," forms a pretty good resume - one that shows he can do a lot of different things.

"It's definitely created incredible visibility for me," he said.

He said it's raised his profile in Hollywood, and led to better jobs.

He's working next on a project

("Twylight Zones") with David Chase (writer/director) and James Gandolfini about middle-aged guys getting a band together.

Send email to thompsg@phillynews.com.