Fans of Power were ecstatic when they heard that fan-favourite character Tommy Egan, played by Joseph Sikora, would be getting his own spinoff series following the conclusion of the original show.
Clamouring for more information on what to expect and, hoping for a release as quickly as possible, the time has finally come: Power Book IV: Force will debut this weekend.
Ahead of the premiere, we caught up with Sikora to chat all about his character’s journey, the badass women of the Power universe and more…
What should fans expect from this next chapter in Tommy’s life?
I keep going back to this, but I do love it when it says, ‘different city, different rules, same Tommy’. So, I think they can expect a lot more of the same Tommy but also the changes that Tommy had to go through by the end of [the original series] Power with the loss of all of the people who were dear to him: his brother Ghost, Lakeisha, Holly, his mother disowned him, Tariq and Tasha, he lost his entire drug empire.
So, other than a bag full of cash, a couple of guns, a few changes of clothes, Tommy is headed to the West Coast. Now, he gets sidetracked in Chicago and obviously we find out why. But then, I think it’s through Tommy’s presence of mind to say, ‘hey, you know what?’ It’s not lost on him. Tommy has always been an observer. Tommy’s always had that eye.
Whether it was knowing that Dre was lying when Dre kept proving himself to be honest and Tommy just had that gut feeling, Tommy goes with his gut and that’s one of the reasons why he’s able to survive.
As you say, Tommy’s lost pretty much everybody now and so moving away, he’s gonna meet a bunch of new people and new faces. Can you tell us a little bit about those characters that he’ll meet?
Two of the most exciting characters easily, are the Sampson Brothers played by Kris Lofton as Jenard Sampson and Isaac Keys as Diamond Sampson and they run the biggest gang on the South side of Chicago which is kind of representative before the nations fell as they say, the big gangs in Chicago had become leaderless and kind of turf gangs, and this is a harkening back or a holding on to a little bit more of the corporate style of some of these gangs in Chicago that existed for a long time - like the El Rukns, you know making arms deals with the Middle East, I think will jog people’s memories - but that’s a really exciting relationship because Diamond has just gotten out of prison as we see in the pilot episode and, Jenard has been running the gang for all intents and purposes.
Tommy serendipitously gets in on a drug deal that is hosted by Vic Flynn and also Jenard Sampson. He kind of takes over the deal and so now he’s in cahoots, by accident, with the two biggest drug entities in our universe with the Flynns and the Sampsons. It’s gonna take a lot of manoeuvring to get out of the other side in one piece.
I think what Power does really well - it would be really easy for a show like Power to use women for means and purposes that they can’t really make a ‘big character’ out of - but with Power, whether it’s the original series or Ghost or Raising Kanan, there’s always badass women who are there for a reason. Does that continue with Force, with Gloria (Gabrielle Ryan) perhaps?
Yes with Gloria, but yes and… I think it continues with Gloria, I think it continues with Claudia Flynn (Lili Simmons) and there are several other women who make appearances that show the leadership of women, the necessity of women and the truth of women in these situations in a real-world sense.
Tommy’s been super unlucky in love; do you think he’s someone who can fall in love again?
I think Tommy is really in a place of mourning Lakeisha still, so I think that maybe his carnal nature, which I think we can all relate to, sometimes gets the best of us in situations. But I think that, you know, does the mind rule the body or does the body rule the mind? I don’t mean to quote Smiths lyrics right now but I think that it is apropos that I think that’s gonna be a challenge for Tommy to fall in love while he’s carrying this torch still of a broken heart for Lakeisha.
Tommy’s probably best described as an anti-hero. Does it ever surprise you how much support he gets from the fans?
It never surprises me because I think we’re all anti-heroes. I think that an anti-hero means that you’re just multifaceted; there’s a multiplicity to you and that’s truly human nature. If you’re a hero I think that’s a more singular title.
I think that the more interesting heroes are the anti-heroes; the Walter Whites and Tony Sopranos of the world. So, I think in that capacity, Tommy Egan is in good company.
Is part of what draws you to the Power universe, that it’s so grounded in reality?
I think that it is a skewed reality but I think at it’s best, it’s a fully-actualised series. Courtney A. Kemp [creator and producer] did a phenomenal job creating this world that captured all of us. She utilised the experiences and stories and ideas of Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, the co-executive producer, co-creator of the show. I think that she did an amazing job and I hope in some capacity we're able to emulate that and make it incredible.
I think we get there by the finale episode, directed by a great filmmaker named Deon Taylor, came in and he directed a film in Episode 10, I’ll tell you that much right now and it’s pretty exciting so I can’t wait for the fans to get there, but we’ll begin at the beginning and we’ll make it to the end.
Family’s always been a big theme in Power and it sounds like that’s going to be the case again?
Yeah, it’s been a big theme in Power and I think that Tommy, for better or worse will discover more about himself through this new family that manifests itself in Chicago and, what pitfalls lie within family and the loyalty, and how that sometimes, that can be used against you in a lot of ways, mentally and physically. So it’s pretty exciting and you know, some of the people, Anthony Fleming III does a beautiful and brilliant job as JP Gibbs and I think that we’ll see how close Diamond and Tommy get or how far away they need to stay away.
The series can be quite a dark one at times, so is it ever difficult get in the right frame of mind for filming, or is it very much a different mood on set, behind-the-scenes?
I try to do my homework at home and I do study and work hard and I come prepared and memorised with choices, but it doesn’t mean I’m not malleable. I show up ready to collaborate all the time. Some scenes are heavier, some are lighter. But boy, the crew was marvellous in Chicago, whether it was our A or B camera, we just had this incredible crew of people who are artists and really considered themselves artists and I think, most crews do and people sometimes forget that, that they’re there and feeling that vibe on set, whether it’s a joyous one, whether it needs to be serious because that’s what we need to portray and we need for people to feel. Everybody needs to be right there in the pocket.
TV’s more important than ever right now, we need that escapism so, what is it you’re hoping fans take away from this show above everything else?
I think above and beyond everything else, I hope that fans are educated behind the lines, not only of Chicago but the consequences for extreme actions and extreme consequences, all heartache and at the end of the day, that we’re all human.
I think this show can transcend and show a oneness and an inclusiveness that a lot of other shows just aren’t able to fully actualise and at best, we really do do that. Even if somebody doesn’t understand an aspect of this world, the real world of urban landscape, I think they can come and have a fun ride with us and Tommy Egan.
Power Book IV: Force begins on Sunday, February 6th 2022, exclusive to the streaming service Starzplay.
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