Omar J. Dorsey Says Wood Harris Beat Him Out forRemember the TitansRole. 24 Years Later, Dorsey Got Revenge (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Omar J. Dorsey; Wood Harris.Photo:Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Omar J. Dorseyis remembering the role that Wood Harris once beat him out for in the late ’90s — but it’s all water under the bridge now.

On Feb. 26, the 49-year-old actor revealed to PEOPLE at the Lexus UPTOWN Honors Hollywood — a Los Angeles event that recognizes the contributions of Black creatives — that Harris beat him out for the role of Julius Campbell in the 2000 football dramaRemember the Titans.

“I’m still in college, right? I mean, 1999, I’m still in college. I go in. I auditioned […] forRemember the Titans. I didn’t get it and Wood Harris got it over me,” Dorsey recalls. “So I still talk smack to Wood now because I got [the HBO series]Bookieover you, Wood. I remember me and Wood were in the audition forBookie. I said, ‘I’m getting this over you!’ “

Remember the Titans, which starredDenzel Washingtonas a high school football coach tasked with coaching a team in a recently-integrated town, served as the launching pad for the careers of several young stars, includingRyan GoslingandHayden Panettiere.

From left: J. Alphonse Nicholson, Method Man, Blair Underwood and Omar J. Dorsey at the Lexus UPTOWN Honors Hollywood on Feb. 26, 2025.Randy Shropshire/Getty

Randy Shropshire/Getty

And while Dorsey didn’t get the role inRemember the Titans, he said he did get a role in the 2000 comedyRoad Tripshortly after, which starredBreckin Meyer,Seann William ScottandTom Green. He shared that getting the role so young left him with the mistaken impression that finding work in Hollywood was “so easy.”

“I auditioned forRoad Trip. I ended up [with] like three or four callbacks. I ended up getting it and I was like, ‘Oh, Hollywood is so easy!’ Wrong. Wrong. It wasn’t easy, man,” Dorsey explains. “But it’s been an amazing journey […] 25 years in the making.”

Dorsey, who was one of several notable honorees at the event, also reflected on his time in Hollywood and how it feels “surreal” to have arrived where he is today.

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“You know, it’s like I remember like 15 years ago when I was sleeping on people’s couches, trying to like figure this thing out and now 15 years later, look at where we are, man. This is just a beautiful thing,” he says.

Omar J. Dorsey and Sebastian Maniscalco in ‘Bookie’ on Max.John Johnson/Max

John Johnson/Max

“I talked to [show creator]Chuck [Lorre].I talked to Sebastian. You know, we’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to do with it,” he says. “You know, we put our lifeline in it, man. We put our whole heart and soul into it. It’s a great show, man. You know, I hope we can find another home.”

Bookieseasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.

source: people.com