Omar Epps may have a hit show in the new ABC series Resurrection but all anybody wanted to talk about this week was the supposed “skirt” he wore in an appearance on The View. Epps was taken to task by 90’s rapper Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian, whose Twitter account is often controversial. Jamar is vocal in his dislike of “feminized” Black men and was himself called out in an epic Twitter battle with Marlon Wayans who defended his good buddy Epps.
Epps himself shrugs off the criticism, tweeting that his look was a nod to African history. He told the Tom Joyner Morning Show that he wasn’t offended by the backlash.
“I wasn’t upset at all. I didn’t [expect the response] actually. I do me and I know who I am and I’m comfortable in my skin. Everything ain’t for everybody. My thing is (laughs) it’s just interesting. It was amusing to me. It’s actually a panel pant. Everyone is running with this skirt thing, but if you look at me walking on set on The View you can see it’s pants in the back. It more of a thing, almost like a pelt, where we used to put a coat of arms. If you look deep into African history, we dressed that way.”
OK, enough said about that.
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Resurrection, which is yet another TV role for Epps, who was once killed off of ER early in his career, debuted last Sunday and also has people talking. The show, based on the book The Returned by Jason Mott (who is Black) is about what happens when the dead, or presumed dead return to a small Missouri town. Epps is the immigration agent who specializes in the returns.
“They reached out to me,” Epps said about how he got the role. “I read everything that was out there and this was the project that jumped out to me. When I sat down with the writer and director, we just vibe out and it was a go from there.”
Reviews of the show have been good, with some calling it the new
Lost, the mysterious ABC series that had a great following during its 6-year run. Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is behind the show, and they’re certainly on a roll with an Oscar win for 12 Years a Slave. Epps says he enjoys being a part of such a thought-provoking premise.
“I think the way we approached the idea it doesn’t matter what your belief is, whether you’re religious spiritual or you’re a non-believer or you believe in logic or science it’s a phenomenon that we’ve never faced in front of us. So exploring that notion in a very organic way is exciting to me.”
Resurrection airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
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