Decatur's Omari Hardwick stars in new Starz drama 'Power' starting June 7

But now Hardwick, 40, is taking on the No. 1 role for the first time on the new Starz drama "Power" debuting June 7 at 9. He plays a big-time New York City drug dealer trying to go legit by owning nightclubs.

UPDATE: The show was renewed by Starz for a second season soon after it debuted. It will return in 2015.

"I was always extremely aware of my talent level. I often ran from positions of No. 1.," Hardwick said during a Q&A at a screening of the first episode of "Power" at Duluth Studio Movie Grill last month. "I was comfortable leading from No. 2."

But while shooting "Being Mary Jane" in Atlanta, he said in an earlier interview at White Oak Kitchen in Downtown Atlanta, he learned "I had that leading man thing. I had that leading man gift." He gained confidence working with Union: "Being next to light-bulb wattage like that, I was able to hold my own. That's what it taught me." Even better, he was able to shine while shooting in his hometown.

Hardwick's character, James "Ghost" St. Patrick is complex and conflicted. He's been doing dirty-work drug dealing for years with his childhood friend Tommy (Joseph Sikora) and his supportive wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton). His move into nightclubs, something his dad had done, is a way to perhaps get out of the illegal drug world and find a business that is a bit safer. Tommy and Tasha are skeptical.

Hardwick compares Naughton to his character's Edie Falco in "The Sopranos."

"I had to capture this New York edginess," Naughton said. "The attitude and the fearlessness."

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

"I wanted [50 Cent] around," Hardwick said. "I needed his temperature. He's a big kid inside and extremely bright."

Ghost, to Hardwick, " is quiet and brooding but very physical. He needed to be secretly enraged at all times. I made him a very quiet lion who didn't really let his roar come out. Every character comes in as an animal. I saw him as an eagle and a lion."

Hardwick read "Catcher in the Rye," tapped into Holden Caulfield's rebellious nature. He watched "The Cosby Show" because Ghost has three children. "The darkness and bad part of this guy is often easily accessible," Hardwick said. "It's fun for an actor. But he was a father, too. I wanted to tap into that childlike quality good daddies have. I wanted to juxtapose the darkness with the light. I watched what Cliff Huxtable brought to those five kids. I watched nine episodes a day. In the end, Ghost is [notorious Colombian drug dealer] Pablo Escobar meets Cliff Huxtable."

Ghost deals with Latino gangs frequently and speaks solid Spanish. Hardwick credits his time at the private school Marist  for that. "That was money well spent," he said.

There is also a scene in the first episode where he is at opening night of his hot new club Truth and he has to take off his suit to handle some drug-related business. On the way back to the club in the elevator, Hardwick puts on his tie minus a mirror with a steel, determined look on his face. "In private school, I had to put on a tie every day starting at age 13," he said.

Ben Carter, his best friend from Marist, said they had to learn to how to tie their ties in 30 seconds or less after PE class. He also said Hardwick learned in private school that he had to be disciplined in both athletics and academics. (He was a football player and tried out for the NFL after his stint at UGA but an injury sidelined him.)

Since this is a pay cable network, the show has nudity. You'll see quite a bit of Naughton and Hardwick. And during a screening of an episode where he and Naughton leave little to the imagination, Hardwick felt a wee bit uncomfortable because he was sitting next to his mom. And he said he has sisterly feelings toward Naughton.

But believe me: Hardwick is cut. His brother Malik said "one of his sanctuaries is the gym. It's part of his process. It's part of his life."

At the same time, Carter says "he's more than a pretty boy or a jock. He loves poetry slams. He's very thoughtful, very introspective. This is a great role for him."

Hardwick got married a couple of years ago to Jennifer Pfautch, a makeup artist who understood the vicissitudes of being with an actor.  Carter, who says he's Hardwick's "no man," said yes about Pfautch. "I'll always be the devil's advocate for what he's doing. People are always blowing him up. I've known him since we were 13."

Here's a trailer to the show:

Reviews so far give Hardwick good marks but some critiqu the series for feeling derivative.

Variety says it "musters occasional moments — mostly courtesy of its charismatic star, Omari Hardwick — but has a second-tier feel to it."

SFGate says "it's slick, sexy and action-packed, and stumbles repeatedly over predictability."

Verne Gay of Newday is kinder: "Power" is well-drawn but particularly well-written, with dialogue that exudes an easy, sharp familiarity with the way crooks talk -- and federal agents, too."

And the Philadelphia Inquirer likens "Power" to a modern-day "Great Gatsby": "The series captures the spirit of Fitzgerald's novel while telling a story that's very much of our time."

TV preview

"Power," 9 p.m., Saturday (starting June 7), Starz