Travis Winfrey’s character Omar provides some serious comic relief on Single Ladies, especially during some of the shows more heated moments. (No one can cut the tension after a BFF fight they way Omar can.) We spoke to Travis recently to catch up and try to dish the dirt on what the plot of season three has in store for him and though he couldn’t say too much, he hinted that his relationship with Felicia Price (LeToya Luckett) gets…aggressive. Read on to hear how he describes Omar (he would totally be a Basketball Wives fan, he tells us), and what’s going to happen with him over the next episodes.
What’s going on with Omar this season? You’ve mentioned that he rounds out the quartet of main characters on the show, so what can we expect from the character this season that makes him more integrated into the group?
On the technical side of it, Omar gets a little more stand-alone story time, so we see him outside of the shop and he’s getting his own, more detailed story line.
When you’re preparing to play Omar, do you have any little details in your head about what Omar would like or do in real life? Like, would Omar have bought the new Beyonce album?
Well, you know, I just try to make him as natural and genuine as possible – just really genuine and in the moment. I model Omar after my New York Aunt Samantha and my cousin Bianca who taught me how to be a byrd, with a Y. Anything that Omar says is something my aunt or my cousin would say from uptown Harlem, New York. Just talking about Basketball Wives. And yeah, Omar would have bought the new Beyonce album, he’d be losing his mind right now.
What’s the vibe on set this season since there are so many new faces on the show?
It’s pretty much the same as it has been, everyone integrated really quickly into the cast. Damien [Dante Wayans] and LeToya [Luckett] and Lesley-Ann [Brandt] were fantastic, you can’t pick better personalities, we got really lucky. And I think everyone was just so grateful to be working again, we’ve waited so long to come back.
What are Omar’s relationships with the new characters on the show?
Well, LeToya Luckett and I spend most of the season together, there’s a pretty good storyline between her and I. Let’s just say she takes Omar. Felicia Price takes Omar. That’s all I can say. She takes him. Aggressively.
How would you describe this season? What are you looking forward to the most?
I’m really excited to see the audience’s reaction. We have a new group of writers so the tone is completely different. The characters are the same but I’m excited for the shift in tone, it’s like a more prime-time, polished version of the second season.
[Photo: Laretta Houston for VH1]