‘Power’ actress Naturi Naughton on what makes the Starz show legendary
USA TODAY spoke with actress Naturi Naughton ahead of the new season of “Power Book II: Ghost” on Starz.
In one of the final scenes of Starz’s hit crime drama “Power,” James “Ghost” St. Patrick stands in his iconic pose in a well-tailored gray suit, staring out over the balcony of Truth nightclub.
His son Tariq comes in and confronts him.
With the weapon in his hand, he is preoccupied with the all-encompassing question: When will Ghost pay for all the pain he has caused? His mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) tried to stop him, but it was too late. The same bustling New York club that symbolized a life beyond the game for the prominent, once untouchable drug dealer and later politician became the scene of his downfall.
And it was at the hands of his offspring that Ghost (Omari Hardwick) tried, but failed, to keep away from his discreet criminal lifestyle. As the Power Writers Room put it in 2016, Tariq’s actions were “the result of parents who over-corrected their children.”
Ghost’s late mentor and later adversary Kanan Stark (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), who taught Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) about life on the streets, appeared to him in a vision before he finally pulled the trigger. Ghost’s longtime friend and right-hand man Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) witnessed the fatal shooting and pointed his gun at Tariq, but urged him to “let him go.”
Among fans, the beloved protagonist was overshadowed by the series’ most hated character. Shortly before the finale in February 2020, the network announced the “Power Universe,” an expansion of the flagship series with several spin-offs, including “Power Book II: Ghost,” starring Rainey.
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Life in the “big rich city” is not always sweet
“They say this is a big, rich city. I just come from the poorest part. Bright lights, city life, I have to make it.” a slow, chilling rendition of the show’s famous theme song, played during the finale after Tasha was arrested by the FBI for Ghost’s murder. The wife of the once fabulous, grandiose drug magnate was stripped to the skin in an orange jumpsuit and placed in a prison cell after her plan to frame her new lover for the crime failed.
“When Tasha had to take off the wig… her eyelashes, her makeup, her nails, and she took the blame for Tariq, that was one of those moments where I felt like I saw her at her lowest point,” Naughton said. “But it was a moment that I think also showed strength… and a mother’s love.”
The scene was the exact opposite of the time the St. Patricks had breakfast in their luxurious penthouse apartment, as seen in the original pilot episode, which premiered in June 2014.
The family dynamic deteriorated over the course of the series, with Tasha and Ghost’s marriage falling apart, largely due to his relationship with federal prosecutor Angela Valdes (Lela Loren), the death of Tariq’s twin sister Raina (Donshea Hopkins), and the other serious consequences of his connection to a notorious drug lord who leads a double life.
Tasha and Tariq were eating breakfast on his first day of college when agents knocked on their apartment door and arrested them. “Tariq, listen to me. Go to school,” she demanded through tears. “Live your life.” She was able to negotiate a deal that enrolled him in school so he could receive his inheritance after graduation.
Tasha’s final words were the perfect segue into the first season of “Power Book II: Ghost,” in which viewers saw Tariq work tirelessly to excel at Stansfield University while also finding his footing in the hard drug world.
“Power Book II: Ghost” is “legendary”
Due to their overwhelming disdain for Tariq, many fans were not keen on a sequel and said they would not tune in. However, Courtney Kemp, creator and showrunner of the series, was confident that viewers would come back despite the negative reactions.
“I knew what Michael was capable of, that he could take the whole show on his shoulders. I also knew that the story of how his son dealt with that legacy, that guilt, that responsibility once Ghost was dead, would be exciting,” Kemp explained in a statement. “I also knew that the Bildungsroman works for a reason. Everyone loves coming-of-age stories. They’re very relatable.”
Just like the fans, Rainey was initially skeptical about the spinoff. But he has now proven that he is up to the challenge.
“After I killed Ghost, I thought, ‘After this episode comes out, no one is going to care about this character anymore,'” Rainey, who played Tariq for 10 years, told USA TODAY. “We committed. We did it. And we were able to get the fans to do a 180-degree turn.”
And he’s right. Feelings toward Tariq quickly changed.
“Power Book II: Ghost (sic) is a legendary show because they were able to take Tariq St. Patrick from ‘the most hated character’ to the one we root for week after week,” said Tyquel Campbell, the user behind @PowerTVFans, one of the show’s most viral fan pages with more than 106,000 followers.
Campbell has been running the site since 2014, when the original series began to dominate the online conversation. He considers himself an OG fan: “I have to say, it was extremely remarkable how they executed this show. Regardless of what you may think of Tariq, it was great to watch his development as a character.”
Instant record hit
“Power Book II: Ghost” debuted in September 2020 and became an instant hit, breaking viewership records on the premium cable platform’s app. It was the first spinoff to “hit the mark and captivate the target audience from the start,” executive producer 50 Cent said in a statement.
“Audiences weren’t ready for ‘Power’ to end,” he continued, adding that a show with black leads “proves that diversity works. Before that, you haven’t seen many shows with a diverse cast and crew.”
Although it was a new show, it had a similar essence to its predecessor. Appearances by characters from the original series such as Councilman Tate (Larenz Tate), Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson), Effie Morales (Alix Lapri), Brayden Weston (Gianni Paolo) and Egan helped the show still feel familiar to fans.
“I was able to keep a lot of the same pace, the same mix of crime and sophisticated conversations about romance, sex, race and class. We were also able to delve into the academic world,” Kemp said. “Being a black boy at an Ivy League university – that was a very special experience for me and I wanted to bring that to the screen.”
Power Book II: Ghost also stars Mary J. Blige as stoic queen Monet Tejada and Method Man as shady lawyer Davis Maclean, two legends fans love in their respective roles. The Tejadas’ inner family turmoil (famously highlighted in the dinner scene in Season 2, Episode 8), the cat-and-mouse game between Tariq and the authorities, and the introduction of Noma (Caroline Chikezie), the unforgiving but sexy British drug lord, keep viewers hooked and wanting more.
Another draw of the show is fashion. The characters wear luxury brands like Rick Owens, Louis Vuitton, Amiri and YSL. The wardrobe matches the storylines and the culture. Even in delicate life-or-death situations, the Tejada children – Cane (Woody McClain), Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray) and Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) – never miss an opportunity to show off elevated streetwear.
“I think it was really important to us as a collective to represent people of color on screen in a way that you don’t normally see,” said acclaimed costume designer Frank Fleming of the strategic approach to costuming for both shows. “It was a way of looking at ourselves in a way that we don’t often see on TV or in movies.”
“Number one show”: Years later, fans still storm the episodes at midnight
The show’s impact on culture is reflected in the numbers.
According to Starz, Part 1 of “Power Book II: Ghost” drew more than 6.5 million viewers across multiple platforms when it premiered in early June. The network also noted that the show broke the record for the “highest urgency” to watch the first episodes of the season on the streaming app. In the “Power Universe” fanbase, viewers are known to watch the show at midnight to avoid spoilers.
“There’s a whole generation of people who can’t even remember a television world without ‘Power,’ which is kind of cool. The social media aspect of ‘Power’ makes it legendary because we started all this madness… people were having ‘Power’ parties,” Naughton said. “It was appointment television in a really cool way.”
When the end of Power Book II: Ghost was announced earlier this year, fans were disappointed, but Rainey said it was “all in God’s timing,” and said viewers would be happy with the end of the esteemed series in October.
The “Power Universe” – which also includes “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and “Power Book IV: Force” – has, according to Starz, garnered over 1.5 billion viewing hours worldwide. Another part called “Origins” is in the works.
“Everything Fif told me happened. It’s just true. So I would say don’t doubt Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Stick with him. He’s on the winning side,” said Sikora, the lead actor in “Force.” “I’m very grateful to the people at Starz for continuing to go ahead and listening to the fans, this army of fans around the world.”
For 50 Cent, the hip-hop icon turned television giant, both shows left an undeniable impression on the industry.
“I want this show to be remembered as the number one show for ten years!”
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected].
