Omari Hardwick Discusses Infidelity In "Being Mary Jane"

BOSSIP Exclusive: “Being Mary Jane” Star Omari Hardwick Talks Creeping And Homewrecking “These Issues Are Not Exclusive To The Black Community”

- By Bossip Staff
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BOSSIP had the chance to catch up with Omari Hardwick during the BET Experience Weekend in Los Angeles and he gave us some real gems we wanted to share with you. Check out the full interview below:

BOSSIP: Congrats on the new film/TV series “Being Mary Jane”

Omari Hardwick: I’m very excited. I feel it’s a very different complexion of a show for BET. I think BET is trying and they’re on a very successful track and “Being Mary Jane” is the pioneer of that new train so hats off to BET.

It gets a little messy, we have so many issues in the Black community…

Isn’t that every community? We will be remiss if we relegate ourselves at times to our issues being only our issues. I think we dramatically make our issues exclusive to us. That’s what I like about “Being Mary Jane” because any persons or creed can be put in the show. It’s all messy. Life is messy. Love is messy. Work is messy.

Well spoken… Do you agree with Omari? Is our community really just subject to having our flaws more scrutinized or do you think that the level of mess happens at a greater rate than others?

Feel free to discuss, but you can continue to enjoy the rest of the interview on the flip!

You’re a favorite with Black directors. There’s an incredible movement going on right now with Black films. Can you speak on the challenges of that?

It’s interesting. I think the challenges are keeping them honest and making sure they don’t relegate us to certain roles. Because we are of the same skin tone, we often think we know before an actor shows up on the set what they should think. So the challenge is just to remind each other that even though we’re of the same category of person, it’s okay grow and to think outside of the box.

Fortunately, I haven’t had to go through that with the Akils, Ava Duvernay, Bradford Young, or Carmen Madden, because they tend to think outside of the box. Often the challenge for me, being an open-minded, broad-thinking, Type-A male personality ex-athlete, to come in and challenge them to not think in this little box, because as an actor and artist, I never want to be put in that.

It’s interesting that you mentioned that you’re an athlete turned actor

Yeah, and I minored in theater in school, so I was always this artsy, weird athlete.

So you’re just the renaissance man we all imagine you to be

I like Paul Robeson a lot.

So how do you maintain your sexiness?

Being goofy. Just stay goofy, man. Stay lighthearted. Laugh at stuff. I go to see animated movies. Because we can’t help our appearance. We can help it, but you can’t really help it. You could lose it all in a car accident.

How amazing is this guy? We gotta admit, we are crushing on the man, who declined to speak on rumors he was recently hitched.

Hit the flip for his countdown of some of his most beautiful co-stars…

You work with a lot of beautiful women on the show

Yes. Also in life, throughout my career

So who is in your top 5 that you’ve worked with?

Janet Jackson was incredible just because I grew up admiring her. Sharon Leal, Robinne Lee, Gabrielle Union…I have to go more than five! Carmen Ejogo was phenomenal to work with in Sparkle. She reminds me of a female version of myself. Very artsy. I would call her an artist before I call her an actress.Tessa Thompson, all of them.

He’s definitely been a lucky man. How many of you tuned in for “Being Mary Jane” the movie? Will you be watching when the series airs next year?

Hit the flip for more pics of Omari.

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