Omari Hardwick says he’s just NOW reaping the financial benefits from his acting career despite becoming a household name and being the face of the STRAZ network. The “Power” paychecks weren’t giving what they were supposed to give. Here’s what he said about 50 Cent loaning him money and more inside…
Omari Hardwick. That's a household name now.
Over six years (2014 - 2019), Omari captured audiences as the intelligent, ruthless drug dealer-turned-NYC nightclub owner James “Ghost” St. Patrick in the hit STARZ series, “Power.”
Before he became “Ghost,” the Georgia native had a few TV and film credits under his belt, including “Being Mary Jane, “Dark Blue,” Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls, The Gridiron Gang, and Sparkle, just to name a few. Yet, he still wasn’t making “money, money.”
Now, the actor is spilling deets on his questionable acting contracts.
While chatting on “The Pivot” podcast, Omari - who compared his level of acting to that of Brad Pitt - shared his acting career has been more like a marathon where he's finally starting to see the fruit of his labor. Co-host Channing Crowder asked Omari when did he feel like he “made it,” and the actor revealed he didn't feel that until AFTER “Power.”
“I still haven’t made what I should have made. I still never made the money, no, the money, I never made what I should have made. Never,” he said. "Period. It's happening now, finally.”
Shocked, Channing asked, “All them movies you did made before that [“Power”]?”
“I made five dollars,” Omari scoffed.
The dad/husband shared 50 Cent loaned him money twice during his time on the show - once after the first season of “Power” and again after the second season wrapped up, which he previously talked about. Omari paid Fif back…WITH interest.
“I think he forever just really, really respects the sh*t out of me for that. We just not taught that in our community,” Omari said.
“For me to give it back to 50 with interest, I was just so proud to be able to do that, and it was early. He felt like, ‘Damn O, you can’t be messed up. You need money.’”
”It was the summer after season 1 and then it was the summer after season 2. He gave me $20,000 and then the next summer he gave me $23 [thousand] — and absolutely he adores J and the kids, he might like them more than me. It was absolutely given in a way you know, ‘Take care of the family, bro.’”
Apparently, his bank account wasn’t reflecting the fact he was the STARZ network’s leading man…not just the show. He compared his salary of $150,000 per episode to Angela Bassett’s $450,000 per episode for FOX’s “9-1-1.”
“How much do you think I made a week? An episode,” he asked the hosts.
“Angela Basset makes $250,000 [sic] on 9-1-1, so $150,000 per episode,” co-host Ryan Clark said.
“You got it right, yeah,” Omari replied.“First time I’ve ever disclosed it, but I was also the face of that network. “Angela’s not the face of that network. She’s one of the greatest actresses that will face the planet, but she’s not the face of that network,” he continued.
Although the “Power” paychecks weren’t giving what they were supposed to give, he said there aren’t any hard feelings and said he understands “it’s metrics.”
“Starz, I’m still super humble. 50 [Cent]and Courtney [Kemp Agboh], I’ll thank you forever, but all of them know, ‘He didn’t really make no money.’ They know it before I know it.”
Although he was STARZ’s leading man for several years, he shared he has been getting far more work from streaming giants like Netflix and that it has been crickets from STARZ.
Take a listen at the 49:10-minute mark below:
A good lesson in learning your worth.
Photo: lev radin/Shutterstock
