“Celebrity is tough for me”: Actor Omari Hardwick on why he isolated himself in jail for ‘Power’ Season 4

Actor, poet, artist and activist, Omari Hardwick, gives his ‘A’ game when it comes to all of his body of work. The question is: How far would he go?

At the end of season 3, Ghost (Omari Hardwick) is sent to jail by his former lover, Angela Valdes (Lela Loren). In real life, Hardwick spent time in an actual jail to prepare for his character’s new lifestyle.

As we get closer and closer to the premiere of Power season 4, Omari introduces us to the ‘method’ he used to prepare for his role behind bars. 

“This year, I didn’t care about anybody else’s reality,” Hardwick says in an interview with theGrio‘s Natasha Alford. “So, it was the first year I went ‘method method’ and so I was living in jail. Lela and I probably didn’t talk until the end of the season. And we are very close in life, and didn’t talk this year at all.”

This method sounds intense, but Hardwick told theGrio he actually appreciated the alone time. Power show-runner, Courtney Kemp Agboh, seemed to be able to put Omari’s feelings best.

“She says: “Where Ghost was leading into four, Omari was in life. Omari was wanting isolation.” ‘Cause celebrity is tough for me, and it was happening, so I wanted isolation in my real life. And then Ghost needed isolation, so the two worked very well for me.”

As a co-star, Lela Loren was supportive of Omari as he threw himself into Ghost’s world.

“I think the best way that we support each other is we create a creative environment that works for everyone’s distinct process,” Lela said. “You give space where you need space, you give support where you need support, and you show up prepared, and ready to go to work and bring your “A” game.”

So there is a method to his madness, and because of his dedication, we can see why this man of many titles is nominated for Best Actor at the 2017 BET Awards for his leading role as Ghost.

Get to know even more about Omari’s intense process in the clip above and check out our theGrio‘s YouTube channel to hear more from the rest of the cast.

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