Omar Miller, most famously known for his role on the hit series “Ballers” and the iconic movie “8 Mile”. He is now also hosting “The O-Zone” on Lebron James’ Uninterrupted. He is an avid traveler balancing some of the coolest projects on his plate.
Check out our conversation with Omar Miller to learn some more.
HBO “Ballers” Season 3 Premiered with Dwayne The Rock July 23rd. What will this season bring that we haven’t seen in prior seasons?
Omar Miller: A lot of big decisions have to be made this season. We’re kind of putting on our adult fans. A lot of stuff that we have to do is between the group. The show is expanding, it’s getting bigger. It takes place in Miami, Los Angeles, Vegas, San Francisco, New York, we’re all across the map. So with that, there’s a lot of transitions that are happening to the guys; some which separate them and some which bring them together and they got to make decisions on which direction their lives are going to go. In my case, my character Charles, he has to make a big decision as to whether or not a promotion is worth it that would have him spending less time at home with his wife and his baby. In comparison to bring at home, but maybe being unsatisfied professionally. So, I think a lot of people are going to be able to relate to the character because of that.
What would you say has been the highlight in working on Ballers?
Omar Miller: You know what the highlight to me, has been the worldwide exposure because of Dwayne, the reach of Dwayne, the reach of HBO – the show drops pretty much day and day all over the world. I’ve been on giant television shows before, but, it’s a very interesting thing. Because usually, there’s a delay with the release and then maybe Europe is a season behind and South America is a season behind. In this situation, the show drops here on Sunday and by Wednesday, it’s all over the world. And I travel a lot, so then when I go places, people are currently talking about the relevancy of the show.
Dwayne Johnson, John David Washington, and Omar Benson Miller in ‘Ballers’ (Photo: Jeff Daly / Courtesy of HBO)
What was it like working with The Rock?
Omar Miller: Great actually. He’s a very positive guy, generous guy and he really challenges you to get the most out of your time, which I appreciated.
What do you think makes the O-ZONE podcast unique in comparison to other sports podcasts?
Omar Miller: Well the main thing is that you have two brothers actually speaking their mind. One’s the older brother and one’s the little brother. We’re unfair and we’re partial. We’re not giving you the company line. We’re not being PC. We’re making you privy to a sports conversation that takes place in people’s living rooms, except we’re having it over the podcast. And it seems like to me, people have responded to the idea that our voice is very honest, not a lot of sugarcoating and whatnot.
The O-ZONE will be traveling to different cities across North America, is there a city that you are particularly excited to broadcast from?
Omar Miller: I am actually. Tomorrow we’re going up to Las Vegas to broadcast live from the Porter gym, where former lightweight champion Shawn Porter, is going to talk to us about his next fight and is going to tell us his predictions about the upcoming fight. There’s something electric about Las Vegas every time we go and I’m really excited to see, to get out there. You know it’s going to be hot, summer in the desert and to go in the gym, and to see professionals train and get in the condition to do what they do; man, it’s so impressive.
Is there an athlete in particular that would you would like to get on the podcast?
Omar Miller: Oh, there’s several. I’m a big baseball fan so there are some ball players that I would love to get on. I’d love to get Mike Trout on. I would love to get Nolan Arenado on. Basketball guys I would love, you know what, I would love to get this kid Lonzo Ball. I would love to get Ben Simmons on. I would love to get a guy like Melo on and ask him if he feels that he’s still happy that he took the money and stayed in New York instead of going someplace where he could’ve actually won. So you know, this is what our show is about. We ask the tough questions.
You also have your show “Advantage Omar” via the Tennis Channel. What can you tell us about the show and what can we expect?
Omar Miller: It is basically a travel log. I was so blessed by the Tennis Channel and was able to trick them into paying me to eat and drink my way around the world. Basically, it’s through the lens of a tournament go-er, a giant Tennis fan and the tournament go-er of the Grand Slam. So, each Grand Slam is like its own Super Bowl and cities are really lit up when the tennis world is there. We started in Paris at Roland Garros – The French Open and we just finished doing Wimbledon out in London; and now in August, we’re going to be doing New York. And what we do is five short episodes about things to do, adventures, locals, activities, all during the tournament. It’s a worldwide extravaganza, it’s a lot of fun.
Lastly, I’m a big fan of the movie 8 Mile. I just wanted to know how you ended up landing that role and what was it like working with Eminem?
Omar Miller: You know what’s crazy, I almost didn’t get the role because they thought I was going to be too tall and that I wouldn’t fit in the frame with the rest of the guys. Yeah, true story. And thank God, they decided to bring me in anyways and you know that movie directly changed my life. So, it has a special place in my heart as well. The director just recently passed away, Curtis Hanson. It’s been a very interesting film because now we’re 15 years on of the release, 16 years since we made it this November, and there’s been a lot of tragedies involved. The man who played my brother in the movie was a great friend of mine, De’Angelo Wilson, he died by suicide. Brittany Murphy died under suspicious circumstances. Proof, Eminem’s best friend, who Mekhi Phifer played his character in the movie, he was killed. It’s been a crazy movie to be a part of but it’s a legacy-film. It’s a once in a generation film that is held up. I mean people still come up to me every single day and talk to me about 8 Mile. It had an impact you know.
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Make sure to check out Omar Miller on his podcast O-ZONE:
http://ozonepodcast.libsyn.com/podcast
and on HBO’s “Ballers” alongside The Rock. He will also be voicing Raphael in Nickelodeon’s new animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” so stay tuned.