HBO’s Ballers is coming back for its second season this Sunday, July 19, and Omar Miller will be reprising his role as Charles Greane, a former NFL player who got his chance to get back in the game.
While most of the press for Ballers revolves around Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Spencer Strasmore, Miller had a particularly strong arc in the first season as Charles struggled to adjust to life outside of the NFL and dealt with an almost crippling sense of despair before turning his life around. That journey will continue this season on Ballers, as Charles faces new challenges that come with returning to the League and balancing his family with those demands.
CraveOnline recently caught up with Miller, and he gave us a few hints about what to expect from the new season, as well as his sports podcast, The O-Zone, and his upcoming film, Above Suspicion.
Crave: What’s coming up for Charles Greane this season on Ballers?
Omar Miller: You’re gonna see that Charles is back on the Dolphins, and now he has a baby, and he’s got to try to balance being in the NFL and having a kid. This is a different experience than being a young buck out of college coming into the league and traveling all of the time. I think that it’s a different path that he has to take with his comeback to the NFL, which has a lot of unexpected obstacles.
Does this mean that we’ll be seeing your character in uniform and making plays during the season?
There could be some heads busted, but our show takes place in-between seasons. So, the show picks up and I already have my baby, and we’ve already played a season.
Oh, so Charles made it through the whole season? That’s great!
Hey, listen…you’re gonna see!
How do you get yourself into Charles’ headspace? He was pretty close to despair for most of the first season.
Yeah, it was rough because there’s a lot of vulnerability there. And I felt that was the most interesting part of the character, that he got to be lost at times. People seem like they really connected with the fact that this guy was trying to find himself, and I think a lot of people are in transition and trying to find themselves in life. It was something that I had to really mine the material to do everything that I could to explore that and be open to it. You really have to take the ego out of that kind of scenario. This year, there is a different set of obstacles for him, but they are obstacles nevertheless because he’s got a new set of challenges.
What was it about the role that drew you to it in the first place?
You know what? This thing is super relevant right now because of the way that for one, football is at its crazy peak as far as interest from the public goes. Everything from concussions to the actual sport itself being a $10 billion dollar a year industry. All of that makes it super relevant. So whenever you have the opportunity to be involved with a project that has a place in society that is current, it’s a good idea to do what you can to get in that.
For me, there was this idea that you get to play this guy that in the backdrop of this glitz and glamour is a humble dude who is just trying to find his way. In that, there was a relatability to this guy that I thought the audience would connect with, and they did, so far.
Which of your castmates do you enjoy playing off of the most? And who do you want more scenes with?
I have a good time with everybody on set. But truth be told, I have a really good time with Troy Garity whenever we get to play around. I have a good time palling around with Rob Corddry on set and it would be nice to have more scenes with [him]. Rob and Dwayne [Johnson] have a lot of scenes together because they deal with the financial stuff. The majority of my stuff comes with my wife [played by Jazmyn Simon], or me and John David [Washington]. We have a great time playing off each other. He’s so full of energy and young, and this is his first series, so he’s really open to explore and try stuff. It’s great.
Who is the biggest prankster on the set?
Oh man…that’s a good question. You know what? We don’t really have anyone. Everybody’s so scared to get beaten up by Dwayne’s security that we don’t have many pranks that go off. If you pop a firecracker on set you might get laid down. Nobody’s looking to cause any problems, but we’ve got a lot of jokesters. I can tell you that much. When Carl [McDowell] is around, count on the jokes. That dude is ready and he is hilarious. He’s the one who got my character high last year. He’s a very worldly man and full of great stories.
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Can you tease your favorite moment from the upcoming season?
I think my favorite moment from the last season was pushing the trucks in the car dealership. For this season…it’s tough. I’m trying to phrase it properly without giving anything away. Let’s say that this season, you’re gonna get see Charles drawn into a very interesting celebration.
Did you play sports when you were in high school and college?
Yeah, I was a baseball player.
Really? I wouldn’t have guessed baseball.
A lot of people say that. [laughs]
How did you use that experience to inform your role on this show?
Athletes are athletes, man. I know a lot of guys in the NFL, and I’ve talked with a lot of them about the space after you retire and trying to transition to other places in your life. They gave me a lot of insight. I’m down here in San Diego right now for the major league baseball All-star weekend. Hanging out with these guys, both the legends who aren’t playing and the young kids who are playing now just further confirms it. Athletes are always athletes, forever.
We all have a similar thread of competition and humor and focus and discipline because we all go through the same kind of training. We all have the same mentality. It was good because we’re a team on set when we shoot. And we’re a team that works together. Our season is a four-and-a-half-month season, and we all naturally try to pick each other up. At the end, we win the championship if people love the show and tune in.
Tell us about The O-Zone.
I’m pumped up [for it]. Since I am a sports junkie, my brother and I created a podcast call The O-Zone. It’s literally us talking sports like you would in your living room. No politically correct stuff. We’re just having a conversation about sports and it’s fantastic. We invite other celebrities and athletes to come on and talk about their sports or other people’s sports. We just have honest conversations that maybe you can’t have on network TV, because of sponsorships. We have a completely unbiased conversation talking about like, [Kevin] Durant going to the Warriors, LeBron [James] and his legacy, Sabrina Williams… You name it, we talk about it. We’re pretty sports proficient and we go across the board.
Who are some of your upcoming guests on The O-Zone?
Oh yeah. We’re gonna have the cast [of Ballers] come by, because pretty much everyone in our cast is an athlete. We’ve got Calais Campbell from the Arizona Cardinals coming by. We have a lot of athletes that I know personally who are interested in coming on because they want to talk shop. Especially with the football season right around the corner, guys are ready to talk. A lot of guys have been training in Los Angeles, so we get to catch a lot of cool dudes.
Last question: you’re in an upcoming movie called Above Suspicion. Tell us about your character in that film.
Oh man…this thing is a true story, and it’s a really ugly story. And I play a character named Denver Rhodes who actually kicks off the domino for a lot of bad stuff that happens in this backwoods story where it’s a slippery slope of temptation and corruption…especially in law enforcement. It’s extremely relevant because of what’s going on in the country right now.
There’s an extreme element about this picture because it’s a federal agent who gets corrupted by choice. It’s got a great cast and I feel really fortunate to be apart of that. You’ve got Emilia Clarke, Jack Huston, Johnny Knoxville, Thora Birch…it should be a good one!
