50 Cent Responds To Omari Hardwick’s Disdain Of How His ‘Power’ Character Arc Ended
During a recent panel discussion at the Uninterrupted Film Festival, Omari Hardwick spoke on his former Power character, James “Ghost” St. Patrick, and how he was killed off. The actor — who pretty much made the entire franchise a hit — called out the Starz show’s writers, Courtney A. Kemp, and 50 Cent for misleading him and fans about his character.
“I have so much empathy for the fans, bro,” Hardwick said in a clip from the panel on Jul 10. “Because you were sold and told a story that did not continue, guys, in the way that it was sold and told to me that it would continue. So, you have every right to be hitting me up at every airport, every bus stop…”
Following Hardwick’s now viral video, Fif responded with confusion to what the 50-year-old was talking about.
“This [ninja emoji] is a strange bird. The f**k is he talking about, [raised-eyebrow emoji] I never done nothing but look out for him,” he initially wrote on Instagram before removing the post. “If he needed something I gave it to him. I understand now, that sh*t didn’t matter.”
Hardwick was joined by former NBA player Matt Barnes and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young last week, where he was asked about the fate of his Power role. In footage caught by @PowerIsFire on Instagram, the actor told the room, “If I didn’t die, it means I’m still working, right? And my damn checks don’t have Power on it no more.”
Empathizing with his supporters who may have also disliked Ghost’s ending, he added, “I’m with y’all in this sense. I’m with you in the sense that the way the story was sold and told to me is not befitting of the way it ended, guys. So y’all have every right to be like, ‘It didn’t end right.’ And because we don’t honor fans enough, and I know Matt and Trae are different. We honor y’all. We honor our fans, man. We often forget that the fans are being sold and told a story that has a genesis and that it has to end the way that it was sold and told to end.”
Continuing his expression for wanting a better outcome for Ghost, he foreshadowed how “beautiful” it would have been if the series actually concluded the way he thought it was intended to. He claimed that Power creators Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent didn’t stick to the initial character arc that they promised him. He also spoke to how relatable he felt James St. Patrick was to many.
“This was everybody’s uncle. Whether Jamie or Ghost, he was everybody’s uncle who was, more importantly, trying to go right from going wrong,” he said. “And I loved him, and I always will love him. But I just want fans to always remember I played the guy. I’m a little bit bigger than him. So it’s better to follow me than a character,” he concluded.
Although 50 deleted his initial post, fans still chimed in about Hardwick’s spill on The Shade Room.
“Two things can be true. Ghost made POWER and I wouldn’t want to get on 50 cents BAD SIDE,” one person wrote as another commented, “Omari made an entire network relevant. Nobody especially minorities thought of having subscriptions to Starz prior to his character.. let him vent all he wants.”
Another mentioned 50 Cent, letting him know that Hardwick’s expression isn’t a shot at the TV mogul. “He not shytting on you 50. He just didn’t wanna get killed off,” they wrote.
Back in May, Hardwick spoke to Rolling Out of his disdain for the trajectory of the series and the choices Ghost had to make.
“Ghost didn’t get to die with anybody,” he expressed. “Ghost died alone. The ni**a died on the floor. The cold floor. That hurt me. That’s not good.”
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