While there’s no denying the cultural impact of the popular STARZ series Power, as it continues to rise in prominence with every new sequel show that follows, what folks may be surprised to find out about is just how little lead actor Omari Hardwick was getting paid the entire time.
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During his recent appearance on the Pivot podcast, Hardwick shared that he was only receiving $150,000 per episode during the show’s entire six-season run, and he felt like he’s just now getting to the point where he’s getting paid what he deserves.
“How much do you think I made a week? An episode,” he asked the hosts according to Complex. After one of them correctly guessed $150,000 per episode, the Sorry to Bother You star responded: “You got it right, yeah. First time I’ve ever disclosed it.”
He later added, “I still haven’t made what I should have made. I still never made the money. No, the money—I never made what I should have made. Never. Period. It’s happening now, finally.”
Hardwick then went on to reveal that over the summertime, during Power’s first two seasons, producer 50 Cent lent him a little over $40,000 in an effort to help the actor “take care of his family”
“He gave me $20,000 and the next summer he gave me $23,000,” he said, jokingly explaining that 50 only obliged in part due to the fact that he “adores” his wife Jennifer and their kids. “He might like them more than me. It was absolutely given in a way of, like, you know, ‘Take care of the family, bro. Use that.’”
The last episode of Power aired back in February 2020. The series has since evolved into three spinoff shows: Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.
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