Advertisement

Omar Epps Reminisces About Dressing Like Bobby Brown at His High School Prom

Talk about a Resurrection.

Omar Epps recently gave us a ring and, with prom season in full swing, we decided we'd try to dredge up some of his memories from his high school days. At 40, it's been a while since the Brooklyn native was entering his locker combo at the famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan — better known as the Fame school — but his memories of flattops, Bobby Brown-inspired fashion, and his classmate Marlon Wayans quickly came flowing back.

[Related: Celebrity Prom Photos]

Here's what the ABC star, who recently teamed up with Gillette to launch the brand's Fusion Pro-Glide Razor with FlexBall Technology Razor, had to say…

Where was your prom? Our prom was on a boat! I forgot the name of it, but it's one of those boats that cruises up the west side [of Manhattan] on the [Hudson] River. We were on that.

Who did you take? It was me and my two best friends. We went stag.

What was your prom preparation like? It was kind of simple. Back then I had the flattop. I had my mustard-and-black suit. It wasn't a tux. It was more like a Bobby Brown type of getup.

Were you at home with Mom watching? No, we all got ready at the same place in the city — my friend's house. We brought our stuff there. Then we all got ready and left from there.

As a city kid, did you take the subway? No, we rented a limo. Well, somebody rented a limo. That's the limo with no liquor in it. [Laughs]

Was there an afterparty? There was. We went there briefly, then there was another afterparty at someone else's house.

Did you stay out all night? Pretty much.

Prom and graduation go hand and hand. Where was yours held? Lincoln Center.

Who gave the commencement speech and what did they say? It was Billy Dee Williams — it was very random. He was an alumni of the school, I think, and he just gave us words of encouragement. "Go out and follow our hearts and be productive citizens, but follow our passion and artistry" — that kind of thing. I also remember that he had on best ascot I've ever seen in my life. That was f--king cool. The ascot he had on, I remember that.

Right after graduation, you landed a role in Juice and the rest, as they say, is history. Did any of your classmates go on to find similar success as entertainers? Rory Cochrane, who was in Argo, and my boy Marlon Wayans. We were in the same class.

[Related: Celebrities Who Were Friends in High School]

Listen to Epps tell a story about some naughty high school hijinks with Wayans here:

You can catch Epps on the small screen in Resurrection, which was picked up for a second season on ABC, and will return this fall.