Omari Hardwick hugged Dana Gourrier every morning before cameras rolled on The Greatest.
In Prime Video’s limited series about Muhammad Ali, from creator Ben Watkins, Hardwick plays Ali’s father, Cassius “Cash” Clay Sr., and Gourrier plays his mother, Odessa “Bird” Clay, opposite Jaalen Best as the young Cassius Clay. Hardwick and Gourrier spoke exclusively with BLKCinema.com during our interview with the entire cast about portraying a marriage that holds both deep love and real harm.
Why Omari Hardwick hugged Dana Gourrier every morning
Asked how they balanced Cash’s love for his family with the damage he causes, Hardwick said it started with trust.
“Hugs every morning. I knew Dana would always be there for me, and I would always be there for her. Once that was established, there was an ability, even as actors, to maybe have a tiff or two, because you trust each other,” Hardwick said.
“Every morning, I would just hug Dana, and it reminds her, oh, he’s right here. He’s tangible. He’s a human. He’s loving. He’s got to go do dark stuff,” he continued. “I’ve been asked to play very complicated guys, and I just would hug Dana every morning, and it was a statement. It was a statement of, I got you, no matter what Ben is asking us to do today.”
Hardwick then ran through the long list of actresses he’s worked with over his career, from Tessa Thompson to Phylicia Rashad, and said that trust has defined his work.
“There’s been so many women, bro. I didn’t get to ever say this a lot. So many women have trusted Omari. Think about that,” Hardwick said. “Obviously, Maryam Ali and Lonnie trusted me in this. When I look back at my career, I’m like, women trusted me.”
Dana Gourrier on Odessa’s love for Cash
Gourrier said she drew on her own marriage to understand Odessa.
“I would be really embarrassed if anyone came into my home and saw how I truly am sometimes, because I’m human and I can be ugly sometimes, and irritable and hangry and short and complicated and a mess. And my husband takes it in stride. He has the patience of Job,” Gourrier said. “So I think of Odessa in that regard. I think mainly about how much she loved Cash. She loved him so incredibly, so completely.”
“To make no excuse for his behavior, but the difference between Odessa and, say, an audience member, or even Odessa and her boys, was that she actually saw Cash. She actually saw the human that he was. She could see through all the BS and through all the soot and dirt and ugliness, and she knew he was pure of heart in his own way,” she continued. “When you take those vows, it’s for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. I take that from my own marriage and apply it to my own life, because it’s not even just about marriage. It’s your relationship with yourself. It’s not always going to be pretty. Not to make an excuse. There is no excuse. But it’s complicated.”
She said Hardwick looked out for her throughout the shoot, even as Watkins sometimes kept them apart.
“This man right here is just extraordinary. Every take, he would check in. Are you OK? How are you feeling?” Gourrier said. “And then sometimes Ben would intentionally keep us apart, which was even more complicated, because all I kind of wanted to do was be close to him.”
All eight episodes of The Greatest premiered Nov. 4 on Prime Video.
Featured image photo credit: Prime Video
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