Omari Hardwick, Decatur native and rising star, was at Puritan Mill for a Lexus "Verses & Flow" event Thursday night. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

On Thursday night, I got to catch up with Decatur native and actor Omari Hardwick, a Marist and UGA grad whose acting career has seen a steady rise over the past six years since his first major role on TNT’s short-lived series “Saved.”

He’s been in films such as “The A Team,” “For Colored Girls” and more recently, “Sparkle.” He hosted the second season of TV One’s “Verses & Flow,” an R&B/poetry slam combo show that he said has a 90 percent shot of returning for a third season. Lexus has organized a live tour of the show and swung through Atlanta Thursday night at Puritan Mills before hundreds of guests, featuring local poets M’Reld Green and Jon Goode from season one and R&B singer Eric Roberson.

Hardwick, who has been doing poetry since he was a child, comes back to Atlanta regularly and will be here for an extended period of time starting in January to shoot BET’s new drama “Being Mary Jane” with Gabrielle Union. He says he’s a bad boy and potential love interest for Union.

I interviewed him back in August, too, if you want to read that one.

Me and Omari.

Omari Hardwick and his friend Eric Roberson.

M'Reld Green, a poet featured in season one of "Verses & Flow," rocks the house.

Eric Roberson emotes.

Omari Hardwick on stage.

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