Shooter - Interview with Omar Epps

Omar Epps in "Shooter"

Now going into it's second season the high octane intense TV series, Shooter is about to get even more explosive! 

The 10-episode action series stars Ryan Phillippe (“Secrets and Lies”) as Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Marine sniper who has retired outside of Seattle after serving in Afghanistan. In season one we learned  that exile is interrupted when his ex- commanding officer, Issac Johnson (Omar Epps, “House”), now with the Secret Service, solicits his expertise in a clandestine operation to help prevent a plot to kill the President.

When Swagger is framed for said assassination, he’s forced to go on the run to clear his name, find the real shooter and protect his wife (Shantel VanSanten) and young daughter. And given Johnson’s role recruiting Swagger, there are immediate questions about his motives.

The series is  based on the 2007 film of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg, who also serves as Executive Producer on the show. 

Ryan Phhillippe and Omar Epps in, Shooter

Omar Epps who plays Isaac Johnson said during our recent satellite interview to discuss season 2, that his character Isaac Johnson might be the character we love to hate but feels that he might be a bit misunderstood. "I think that he's a good guy that's made some bad decisions and as we saw in the first season, we peeled back some layers of how he got to that point." 

“Isaac is a guy who believed in the system. As he worked his way up the ranks, things became less black and white and more gray,” he says. “He got to where he’s at by trying to fight for the greater good. Through the course of the season his conflict is, ‘what really is the greater good?’”

“Every character gets wrapped into their own thing depending on what side of the fence they’re on,” he adds. “There are all these moving parts — who’s your friend, who’s your ally, does that person change?

To prepare for the role, Epps had to learn some Mandarin, and he and Phillippe underwent extensive weapons training with an ex-Marine (the series is certified by the veterans coalition “Got Your Six” for its portrayal of vets) to learn tactical movements and formations.

Check out my interview with Omar Epps (below) who gave me the scoop about working on such an intense show, what it's like working with Ryan Phillippe, how he came to learn a bit of Mandarin Chinese for his role, what he has coming up next on the big screen and much more.

SHOOTER SEASON 2 KICKS OFF ON THE U.S.A NETWORK AND BRAVO CANADA ON TUESDAY JULY 18TH AT 10PM.