Omari Hardwick Offers Insight On Sexual Diversity In Hollywood and His Upcoming Project

Award-winning actor, writer, and producer Omari Hardwick is widely known for his roles in popular movies and TV series such as Kick-Ass, Sorry to Bother You, For Colored Girls, and Starz’s Power. In an interview with SiriusXM Urban View host Clay Cane, Hardwick reflects on his portrayal of a character named Carl, who has not yet come to terms with his sexual orientation. Also, he hints at an upcoming project involving Gil Scott-Heron.

In Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls, Carl is the “closeted” husband to Janet Jackson’s character Jo. As a Black man in 2012, Hardwick felt that his role wouldn’t be well received by audiences in comparison to those of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. “The Black culture perceives roles like that one in a negative light,” he stated on Shadow And Act.

Now in 2020, he believes young Black men can take on such roles without the fear and stigma which was present years prior. Hardwick believes every aspect of Black culture should be represented in movies and television, which includes Black men who are gay.

In Hardwick’s pursuit of the next great role, he reflects on James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick from Power and how it could be a challenge to find an equally compelling character. In the TV series, Ghost straddles the line between two worlds- the ritzy Matthan lifestyle and the dangerous drug underworld. However, Hardwick reveals that during season two of Power, he acquired the rights to a project featuring Gil Scott-Heron but was unable to move forward at the time due to playing Ghost.

Scott-Heron was a soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known for his social and political-themed lyrics. Some of his top songs include We Almost Lost Detroit, Angel Dust, Inner City Blues, and Song of the Wind. Hardwick relates to Scott-Heron as a poet and admires his unique perspectives on art and life. As of yet, there is no official start date for the project, and Hardwick mentioned that he wants to take his time with it. For this role, he aspires to achieve what Denzel Washington accomplished in his portrayal of Malcolm X.

Be sure to check out SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show on weekdays from 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126.

Check out the clips from the interview below.

Omari Hardwick of Starz’s ‘Power’ – Playing a Gay Character and Black Roles in Hollywood

Omari Hardwick of Starz’s ‘Power’ – Teasing upcoming Gil Scott-Heron project

Photo Credit: Maro Hagopian with SiriusXM

Source: SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show