New conflict arises in season four of the Starz hit original series “Power.”
James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) is behind bars, charged with the murder of FBI agent Greg Knox. This leaves his wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton) to pick up the pieces while coping with the fact that her husband was being investigated by the woman he once left her for, federal attorney Angela Valdes (Lena Loren).
The fall-out also impacts both Ghost’s Truth nightclub, which must now be managed by Dre (Rotimi Akinosho) and his drug distribution ring, which creates a whole new set of situations for Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora).
Then there is Tommy’s love interest LaKeisha Grant (La La Anthony), who is Tasha’s best friend. Meanwhile Tasha and Ghost’s son Tariq, (Michael Rainey Jr.) despite Dre’s warnings, begins hanging out with Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) as an accomplice to robberies. Kanan is Ghost’s former boss and mentor; someone who the nightclub owner thinks is dead after their last showdown.
Viewers certainly find the various story lines compelling; “Power” was renewed for seasons four and five simultaneously. But the conflict does present challenges to the stars behind the characters.
“For me, some of the most difficult things were dealing with the fact that Ghost is in jail,” Naughton told The Knockturnal. “Even though I’m angry at him for having an affair with Angela which put him there, I still need to save him to save the family.”
“He’s got to elevate their drug game and their business to make this corporation,” Sikora said of his role as Tommy. “Learn the finesse that somebody that is a CEO rather than a corner boy (would) deal with.”
Rotimi, who is also signed to 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records (Jackson is an Executive Producer of the show) took a different approach to his craft with the new season.
“I’m learning different ways on studying,” the artist revealed. “How to study, how to pay attention to things. Asking more questions. So, the growth of the character… it’s kind of imitating life a little bit for me because with more responsibility it’s starting to happen more and more for (Dre) so it’s cool.”
“The other actors on this show force you to step your game up,” Anthony added. “Everyone is so talented. You don’t want to be the person coming to set not prepared, not understating what’s happening with your character because you will be exposed!”
And as Anthony learned, (spoiler coming up here) sometimes even the preparation doesn’t help.
“Of course not!” La La responded when we asked if it was any easier this season to appear on-camera in the buff. “It’s definitely not an easy thing but it was for the character…so I just have to separate La La from it; I’m LaKeisha and this is what’s happening and just put my mind there and go for the gusto!”
“We all show up prepared and ready to work,” Loren said. “’Power’ was such an ambitious script and project that I think we all sort of felt the pressure of really having to show up with our ‘A-Game’ because when something’s that ambitious, it can go sideways really easily.”
Loren credited Hardwick with keeping things upright.
“All of us have our different personalities by nature and of course your nurture comes in to play with the environment and familial home that you were raised in,” Hardwick said. “So all of the sudden you get artists that come with all that crap…and then the network says, ‘Go be good!’”
Thankfully for Starz, that is the one area of production in which no conflict has arisen.
