Power is one of the most successful franchises on television.
Spearheaded by Hip-Hop mogul turned tv titan 50 Cent, the series has become a rating powerhouse and has several spinoffs. Lead actor Omari Hardwick is now a household name thanks to his participation on the show. According to him, being the star does not mean he got paid like one, unfortunately. He recently revealed he did not make much money off of Power.
Power Ranked #1 On Network Television In Black Households
50 Cent is very proud of his success on the Starz network. A few months ago, he shared a screengrab of the Starz television show rankings amongst black households on his social media. On the list, 50 Cent’s series occupied the three top spots. One and two were his Power spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost (season 2) and Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Season 1). His other series BMF (season 1) occupied the third spot. Power Book IV: Force continued this trend upon its debut in February. The series stars Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan. During its Sunday premiere, it brought in 3.3 million multiplatform views in the United States. This made it the most-watched premiere in the channel’s history. According to TVLine, “the Power Book IV: Force premiere, coupled with Power Book II: Ghost’s Season 2 finale on Sunday, broke records by combining to deliver the most-watched day ever on the Starz app. (Exact measurements were not made available.).”
Ghost Became The Face Of Starz
With the success of all of Power’s spinoffs, it’s easy to forget that the original star of the Power universe was Omari Hardwick’s Ghost, real name James St. Patrick. Ghost was a ruthless drug dealer trying to break away from a life of crime and invest in a legitimate business. Throughout the original series, he balances his empire, family, and more as he struggles to make it all make sense for himself. His performance was well-received, and Hardwick was undoubtedly the face of Power after 50 Cent. He won several awards for his acting, including two NAACP Awards for Outstanding Male lead and a NAMIC Vision Award for Best Performance.
Power is one of Omari’s biggest roles to date, but he has had other standout performances across film and television, including roles in Beauty Shop, CSI: Miami, and Being Mary Jane. Upon its debut, Power was so well received it was immediately renewed for two more seasons by Starz.
The Death Of Ghost
Power ran for six seasons. The storyline was ultimately leading to a dramatic conclusion, and fans were glued to their seats every week to see how Ghost’s story would end. It was also announced that 50 Cent had several spinoffs planned, and everyone was curious to see how it would all pan out. Things concluded with Ghost being murdered in season 6. Many fans felt this was the only logical end for Ghost, who had recklessly endangered the lives of others, resulting in the passing of his lover Angela Valdez and his daughter Raina.
Show creator Courtney Kemp explained that she, too, saw no other way to end Ghost’s run. Kemp believed it would not be fair if he “rode off into the sunset” and wanted fans to see him pay for his crimes. Many speculated that his passing was fake and that he may still be alive in the show’s universe, but Kemp explained that she had to make his passing permanent so that she could write Power Book II: Ghost. Part of her writing was inspired by losing her own father, and she wanted to stay true to that journey for Ghost’s son Tariq. Tariq was the one who ultimately pulled the trigger on his dad.
Omari Hardwick Was Paid $150K Per Episode.
With Ghost’s story arch wrapped up, Omari Hardwich is now free to talk about his time playing the character. In a recent interview, he discussed how much he was paid for the role. Omari Hardwick revealed in discussion with The Pivot that he never made what he should have made and had to borrow money from 50 Cent twice while starring in Power to take care of his family. He borrowed 20k after season one and 23k after season two, which he paid back with interest. Omari reveals that he made $150k a week and compared it to Angela Bassett, who currently makes $250k a week on 911. Hardwick says that while he respects Angela and her career and worth, she did not have the same weight on her as he did being the face of the Starz network.
Omari says he’s forever thankful to 50 Cent and Courtney Kemp but that he was severely underpaid and that they all know it.
