An Interview with Gabrielle Ryan and Shane Harper from ‘Power Book IV: Force’

Gabrielle Ryan and Shane Harper are a pair of talented actors that are quickly adding to their already impressive resumés. Gabrielle for instance, is currently shooting a recurring role in Debris on NBC and can also be seen in Bonding on Netflix and Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots on OWN. As for Shane, his first role was in Rob Reiner’s Flipped, and his feature film career grew from there with roles in God’s Not Dead and Flock of Four on Netflix, and most recently he played Junior McCarthy on the STARZ series, Hightown and now he and Gabrielle join an incredible cast in Power Book IV: Force, as Vic Flynn (Harper) and Gloria Rogers (Ryan) and we here at Nerds That Geek were able to speak with both of them about Force and their characters.
 
John Betancourt: What was it that attracted each of you to your respective characters?
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Oh my god. I mean, you know, Gloria is a dream to play. From the second I even saw the audition script; I knew that I wanted this role badly. She is just so fearless. So determined. She's a feisty one, as you see early on in episode one. And she is just a force to be reckoned with. And I think, you know, she's underestimated sometimes. But really… she's just a feisty one.
 
Shane Harper: Yeah, I mean, Vic… when I first saw the, the breakdown, and the character and everything, obviously, you know, we're all fans of the show. And I think the immediate reaction is like, well, this is going to be different than anything that I've done, I'm in Power. It stands alone, and kind of the world that it occupies, and how big it is, and how much it's, you know, how beloved it is, and all of that. So, I think the character’s really fun, like, I like this, the whole idea of being this, you know, this family like Empire and trying to vie for like the throne of the family seat, at the table, and all that stuff is, is very reminiscent of like old school gangster movies that I love. And I know everyone loves and it's kind of at the heart of our show like we want it to feel kind of like that old school gangster kind of vibe, you know? Like old Chicago gangster stuff. So that that was a big part of it. But really also just the fact that it's Power. And it's a privilege to be part of something that's so flagship and so big.
 
John Betancourt: Shane, you bring up a good point that I want to expand upon. In that, with the Power Universe being such a huge hit, what does it mean to both of you to be a part of what is basically… a cultural phenomenon.
 
Shane Harper: It's definitely a privilege. I mean, I think you know, for all of us, we're definitely noting, you know; this is the Tommy spin off. It’s a Tommy show. And we all really love Joseph Sikora, and just how talented he is, and what a good leader he's been, you know, on and off screen. And that's a big part of it as well for us, but you’re right. This is blockbuster stuff. You know, this is not like some tiny thing. This is blockbuster. It's big. And we all worked really hard. And I think we're excited and certainly excited for the fans to see it and hope they respond to the characters really well.
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Yeah, you know, being part of the universe is incredible. What 50 Cent and Courtney Kemp and Mark Canton created, it's just, it's just amazing. And you said it, it’s a cultural phenomenon right now, you know, with social media, like the fan’s response, the fans are so loyal and like “ride or die.” Like they tell you if they like you, or they love you, or “I'll hate you!”, you know? Which doesn't happen with every show, it's a dream. And you know, it's a testament to Joseph Sikora, and how he's brought, you know, the Tommy Egan character, not just to life, but how he's just elevated it. He's incredible. And we were all just so excited to be part of Tommy's world. We’re guests in Tommy's world.
 
John Betancourt: That is very true, it IS Tommy’s world. Now, shifting gears a bit. What do you as actors do, to get into the mindset to play characters that operate within a supremely grey world?
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Yeah, you know, I, with any character, I'll always start with looking at if there are any similarities or, you know, and then the differences and then I go from there. I think that every day there are elements of every character on TV that you can relate to, in some capacity. You know, not that we're out here, drug dealing, or anything like that, but there's… there are elements of the… these human aspects of the characters, you know? Gloria's experienced a lot of loss in her life, and everybody can relate to that. So, you know, you start there, and then start working with that.
 
Shane Harper: Yeah, absolutely. I think something really kind of simple. One of my first days working on the show, was a quite intense kind of scene with Joseph and Kris, Kris Lofton, and it's funny because we were talking about where we're starting and Joseph kind of – he’s really, he's kind of, you know, not being a part of the show… I'm really looking to him. For the tone set and all of that stuff and he is such a great leader. He's like, “This is also very life and death, like most of these scenes, are like life and death, like literally life and death.” And you have to remember that as an actor as well, like it's obvious you see it on the page and whatnot. But this isn't just like any other show. You know, these scenes are at such a high frequency. Like what's happening is very intense and you have to remember that. But yeah, getting into character. I mean, a lot of it is like, you know, getting in with your hair/makeup department and costumes, is such a big part of building characters. For this show, particularly, absolutely a huge part of it for me and the team that I got to work with, you know, with the looks, and you know, the tattoos and how he walks and talks. And all of that really enables me to kind of have fun and explore things on the day and find the character as we kind of move through the season.
 
John Betancourt: What are both most proud of when it comes to this first season of Force?
 
Shane Harper: I'm really proud of the determination to you know, to find this character’s voice, or at least for me personally, like, you know, it definitely is an intimidating and big world and to sort of step into it, you have to be brave and walk into that fire. You know what I mean? It really is kind of trial by fire, especially in this world. But yeah, I'm proud of the shape of the character when I watch it back. I think it feels, you know, it feels like a person, but it also feels like, at least… he fits in with the Power Universe. That was a real nice feeling watching it back, you know, feeling like it's all kind of fitting in there really well.
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Yeah, I think that's it. I completely agree with all of that. And I think that I'm really proud that we've… I think we've done a really good job at keeping all the key elements of the original Power that everybody knows and loves. And then you know, adding in these new characters that everyone's gonna start to get to know and hopefully love as well.
 
Shane Harper: Absolutely.
 
Gabrielle Ryan: That's an awesome, awesome feeling.
 
John Betancourt: Last question before we go. What are you both most looking forward to fans experiencing this season? Without spoiling of course.
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Oh, I mean, like I said that the new characters that are coming in, they are all so colorful and exciting. And I'm very excited for the fans to see how they all interact in Tommy's world. Because everybody has their own very interesting experience with Tommy, good, bad. And I can't wait for the fans to see that.
 
Shane Harper: Yeah, I definitely echo that I think the fans are going to be put at ease to see Tommy back. Back like he was, you know, when they when they loved him in the original series, and excited for all the new things as well that Joseph is doing with this character as he continues to evolve it and make it you know, even more and more and more, and there's no ceiling with Joseph and what he's trying to do with the show. So, I think fans are gonna love watching Tommy, you know, kick ass and do what he does, you know, which is basically cause chaos and take over, so, it'll be fun.
 
Gabrielle Ryan: Tommy’s back!
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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