An Interview with Anthony Fleming III and Lucien Cambric from ‘Power Book IV: Force’

Pictured: Anthony Fleming III and Lucien Cambric at the STARZ New York premiere event for “Power Book IV: Force” at Pier 17 on Friday, January 28, 2022. Photo Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for STARZ

Anthony Fleming III and Lucien Cambric are a pair of rising stars in the industry that boast diverse resumés. Anthony for instance is a star of film and TV and stage, having acted in numerous plays while also landing roles in Prison Break, Chicago Fire and Divergent. As for Lucien, he’s made appearances in Shameless and Chicago P.D., all while working to grow as a musician and now Lucien and Anthony are joining the cast of Power Book IV: Force as Darnell ‘D-Mac’ McDowell (Cambric) and J.P. Gibbs (Fleming), and we here at Nerds That Geek were able to speak to both of them regarding their roles in this latest entry in the Power Universe.
 
John Betancourt: What was it that attracted each of you to your respective characters?
 
Anthony Fleming III: Reading the script, I felt like this character was written for me. He's a jazz musician. I'm not a jazz musician. But I'm a lover of jazz, it’s my favorite music ever since I was a kid. He's from Chicago. I'm from Chicago. And he's a cat who fiercely loves and fights for things that he believes in.
 
Lucien Cambric: Um, well, D-Mac is a character that's from the south side of Chicago. He's from the streets. And I think that that's representative of a lot of my people, me, and a lot of my family, you know what I mean? Because it's a reality, people grow up like that. And I think that D-Mac is a character that has a lot of potential. He can be whatever he wants to be. But he's a product of his environment in the same breath. So, seeing that his life can go in any direction, I think is, is representative of what a lot of my people back at home go through. So, I think he's a real character. And that's what drew me to the character.
 
John Betancourt: So, I have to ask the obvious question, because Power is a pop-culture phenomenon. What does it mean to both of you to be involved in the Power Universe?
 
Lucien Cambric: It means the world. It's really a dream come true to be a part of such a big show. And to have it come to our hometown… it leaves me speechless, to be honest. It is such an honor to be a part of Power Book IV: Force and working with such great cast members, all of my cast members are so talented, and great. They just, they bring it every time they come on set. And I like being a part of it. Everyone's passionate about it.
 
Anthony Fleming III: Indeed, you know, being a part of this show that has such a huge fan base, and people have invested so much time and energy into the characters and into the story. It's, you know, it's a dream. And to bring it, like Lucien said, to Chicago, where it's going to be such a big part of the show, the city is just ingrained into the story, and into Tommy rebuilding himself… it’s phenomenal. It's phenomenal, John.
 
John Betancourt: Now, everyone seemingly has an agenda in the Power Universe, or is searching for something, what would you say your characters are after in this series?
 
Anthony Fleming III: Yeah, Power is about a lot of things. Power is about, like you said, people have agendas. And it's about finding out who you can trust in this world. And I think that's something that, you know, Tommy's doing, a lot of characters are doing. But one thing that I hope… you know… is that J.P. comes across as someone who is figuring out how to deal with loss, you know, he's losing pieces of himself throughout the season. And he's trying to hold on to the things that he loves and the things that he wants to keep in his life.
 
Lucien Cambric: I think that D-Mac is searching for himself. I think that he's trying to find himself I think that he's trying to learn, like, learn himself and really come into his own being, you know, D-Mac is a young kid, he's 16. And you know, as 16, we got a lot to learn, you know?
 
John Betancourt: Yes, we do.
 
Lucien Cambric: So, I think that he's coming into his own as he's growing into a man.
 
John Betancourt: What would you say you’re most proud when it comes to this first season?
 
Lucien Cambric: I'm just I'm proud of the performances that I gave. I'm proud of being on set with other Chicago natives. And I'm proud of just being real and true to our culture, you know? I'm proud of Power Book IV: Force. I'm proud of being a part of it, you know?
 
Anthony Fleming III: You know, I come from a Chicago theatre background, where ensemble is huge, its everything. To be a part of this ensemble of the Power universe is everything. You know, it's great to show up to work and everyone is focused and ready and professional, and really at the top of their game.
 
John Betancourt: Now, obviously, this is a universe where people tend to operate in grey areas more often than not. What do you as actors to do to get into the mindset of working within such a world?
 
Anthony Fleming III: To work in that world, it's tricky. Because we're you meet people and people come into, you know, the story and you just can't trust them. What's their agenda? You know, what is their motive? And then at the same time, you know, you're trying to figure out and navigate how you're gonna move and operate around these people. And you know, like, with Tommy, everyone, he comes into contact with, they’re never the same again, their life has changed forever.
 
Lucien Cambric: I think that for my character operating in the gray area is natural for young black kids who come from Chicago, because it might not be… the things that we do might not be always good, but… we can still be good people. You know, I mean, it's a lot of good people in Chicago, that's just in the wrong circumstances and in the wrong environment, in the wrong situations. So, I think that D-Mac is a great, like, portrayal of reality for what it is like growing up in Chicago.
 
John Betancourt: Last question before I let you go, what are you most looking forward the fans to experiencing this season.
 
Lucien Cambric: I am excited for the audience to see Tommy's development. I'm excited for them to see all of the cast development. The character development in Power, I know is incredible. The way that the storylines kind of like all come together, genius writing on Courtney Kemp and her team's part. I love how it's produced by 50 Cent. And I'm just excited. I'm excited! Man, I can't… even put it into words.
 
Anthony Fleming III: Power Book IV: Force is going to be unlike the other shows. I mean, the other shows are of course, great. But it's the natural progression of the story. And I think Power fans are going to see Tommy Egan in a light that they've never seen him. You're going to see a rebuilt, different version, and I don't think it's going to be what they expect.
 
This interview was lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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