Morocco Omari who acts in the popular series as Tariq has been in the country for one week. Magic 1 HD boss JK Kazoora had a candid chat with him. Enjoy!
How did you get the name Morocco?
I just took on the name. No big deal.
Well am not sure how many times you’ve been to Africa but I am quite sure you have been to Morocco before.
Well sure, I have. Way back in 2007. People used to ask me, “Bro have you been to Morocco? You’re called Morocco. It’s a great country!” So in 2007 I had to go down there.
Talking Africa here. How many African countries have you been to?
Uganda makes my eleventh. Rwanda and Tanzania will make thirteen.
So you’ve been here for a week what has the experience been like for you?
Well there are two things I’ve noticed about Ugandans, you don’t try to out-drink Ugandans, you don’t try to out-party Ugandans.
How did you get into acting?
I left college early to join the marine and then when I got back home I kind of tripped into acting. I first did theatre for about twenty years.
How long were you in the army?
For the army I was in there for about two years. Active service.
What are the movie industry dynamics in your country? Say it’s a series, how does one get in there?
The casting directors get all the roles that they are trying to cast. So for my role in Empire, they actually needed someone who could match Terrence Howard. So my agent sent me the details. So I taped and eventually sent in the material. Later on I got the call that I was in.
What is the situation like when filming?
While doing season two, they were flying me in to Chicago, put me up in a hotel and everything. Season three when I became part of the cast, they gave me a certain amount of money to move. So I had to move into an apartment in Chicago for a while though I kept my apartment in New York city. Given the fact that I am originally from Chicago, I knew where exactly I wanted to stay. We filmed for about eight months.
How long does it take to shoot an episode?
It takes eight days. Just one episode if all goes perfect. Monday to Friday. Then Monday to Wednesday.
Who is usually the diva on set?
That’s usually the guest star. Otherwise everybody else is cool
What are those stories that you think should be told in Uganda?
The gold medalist who won gold in 1972. Such a story ultimately needs to be told. The rest of the world knows little about that story. I always want to build a work of art with my brothers and sisters on the continent. We need to start working with one another.
How can this be achieved?
If we have a great script, great actors and great directors. All this can be achieved at the end of the day.
So what next after Empire?
I’ll go home, do rehearsals for a play called The Pipeline. I have no mainstream movies am acting for now.