An Interview with Joseph Sikora from ‘Power Book IV: Force’

Joseph Sikora is an accomplished actor that has appeared in a bevy of iconic television shows and motion pictures. But he is arguably best known for playing Tommy Egan in the Power Universe on STARZ and it just so happens that Joseph is reprising the role of Tommy for Power Book IV: Force, and we here at Nerds That Geek were fortunate enough to sit down with Joseph to discuss his time as Tommy and what we can expect from this latest chapter in the Power franchise.
 
John Betancourt: Let’s start with the obvious question. What does it mean to you for Tommy to have his own series?
 
Joseph Sikora: You know, I'm just so happy that the fans demanded it. I'm so happy that 50 Cent made it happen. And I think that we have a lot of more exploring to do with the character of Tommy Egan to find a man who has lost everything and needs to build everything up from scratch. I think we get a little bit of a peek into the window of the persona that is Tommy Egan. How did he get to the Tommy Egan that we were introduced to in Power? The original Power, Power: Book I, in episode one season one, day one, hour one, second one. So, it's a lot of the evolution that actually takes us takes us back to the beginning, because Tommy now has to build everything from scratch.
 
John Betancourt: Now outside of the fan demand for Tommy to have his own series, what on the back end allowed for Force to come to life?
 
Joseph Sikora: The desire of Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson to satiate his fans and the fans of the Power Universe and he wouldn't take ‘no’ for an answer. And here we are on the air.
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you, to play a character that is so beloved through and through?
 
Joseph Sikora: You know, it’s a super honor. And you know, I do wear it as a badge of honor that, that people love Tommy, but I think one of the reasons that people love Tommy is that it's a shared experience. The luxury of me to bring that character to life, truly is a luxury, but it's you know, it's not singularly me. It's a shared credit for everybody. It's a shared credit for Mark Canton and Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson for the inception of the series. It's a credit for Courtney A. Kemp, creating the series and these wonderful characters. It's a credit to Gary Lennon, who really fleshed out the character and it's a credit to the rest of the original cast of Omari Hardwick, Lela Loren and Naturi Naughton, and that we all got to play bounce off of each other and support each other. And this was really… I mean; you were there. It was, it was a grassroots movement. I mean, it was a slow build. And then it became this kind of a nerd juggernaut that boom, is still rolling to ‘till today, that became the Power World into the Power Universe.
 
John Betancourt: You’re right. It just kept building and building, and I am sure we can attribute some of where we’re at today with your show by way of the cameo that Tommy did in the season one finale of Ghost.
​
Joseph Sikora: Yeah. People were pretty, I mean, just numbers wise, I think the people came and they were really excited to see Tommy. Plus, I'm so proud of Michael Rainey Jr. He's doing an exceptional job leading that show, along with other Power alum of Shane Johnson and Naturi Naughton and they did just a great job and then coupled with the Method Man and Mary J. Blige. It's, it's a really, it's an exceptional cast.
 
John Betancourt: Absolutely. It’s a great show, he's doing a great job, and I am totally hooked on it, and it was great to see Tommy pop in. Now. Since you’ve obviously been synonymous with Tommy for years now, what’s changed preparation wise in getting into character now vs. Power?
 
Joseph Sikora: Well, I try not to take anything for granted. I always try to keep you know, staying in the character giving the time that I need. I'm not as method as a lot of people. I, you know, because I'm a theatre actor, originally. And I still prepare in the same way, I do a lot of homework at home, and I get up, and I show up being prepared. But I also show up being very malleable. So, if I show up with a certain idea of how the scene is supposed to go, I'm not rigid if it doesn't necessarily jive with the other actors and the director and the situation and what's happening. And it really allows me to stay in the present and come up with something that's organic, real and that's where the magic lies. I think.
 
John Betancourt: Now you mentioned that Tommy is on a vastly different journey in this story. What would you say… because I’ve found that in Power, everybody is searching or moving toward something. What would you say Tommy is searching for in Force?
 
Joseph Sikora: Tommy is starting off. He's… he's searching for some kind of peace. And he's searching for a sense of identity because everything that he's associated himself with, and his own identity, New York, Queens, you know, Ghost, the St. Patrick's, money, his hustle, his organization, his mother has turned her back on him, everything is gone. So, I think that he wants to find some peace. and almost a redefining of his identity. And I think a lot of people can identify with that too, just moving to a different city. So, Tommy's moving to a different city, what happens when we move to a different city? You kind of re-find your identity and how you operate and work in this new, this new topography. So, I think that it's very, it's very relatable. And also, Tommy is extreme as he is, he's a true 360-degree person, he's low, he's high. He's somewhere in the middle. Sometimes he's really high. You never know, with Tommy Egan. But it's… he's a very exciting character that I think a lot of people are able to relate to and see themselves in.
 
John Betancourt: Now since you’ve been in just about every corner of the Power Universe, minus Raising Kanan, what would you say you’re most proud of when it comes to your time in this franchise?
 
Joseph Sikora: Being kind, respecting everybody's job. Knowing that we are here to entertain and at our best, we're vessels of entertainment. So, people can maybe make their lives a little bit better by seeing our experiences, actors, and vessels and to say, hey. You know, even though these times are awful and bad, and there are repercussions for actions, we can kind of see our lives in the lives of these characters and maybe learn something about ourselves.
 
John Betancourt: Now, you mentioned kindness there and how important is that to you and that does bring up an important question for Tommy’s future. In that, do you think Tommy Egan is someone that can find redemption and kindness and let all of this go and enjoy peace?
 
Joseph Sikora: No.
 
John Betancourt: Okay. Emphatically, there you have it, folks! (Laughter erupts from Joseph and John.) That’s good to know. So, last question before we go to today, what are you most looking forward to fans experiencing in Force, without spoiling anything of course.
 
Joseph Sikora: You know, really, this is not a staged or lame answer… but the rest of the cast. There's so many of these cast members that are so incredibly talented. The great Tommy Flanagan, who has been gracing our screens big and small for years is exceptional as Walter Flynn you will not be able to not watch him. Chicago theater legend Guy Van Swearengen plays his Conciliary, to see some of that incredible homegrown talent and he's phenomenal in his subtlety and his delivery is incredible. The two offspring of the Flynn family, Shane Harper and Lili Simmons are great. But also, Gabrielle Ryan. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out and as talented as she is beautiful. So, it's wonderful to act with somebody like that and just be in their presence. The two Sampson brothers, Kris Lofton, who plays Jenard, Isaac Keys, who plays Diamond, are excellent. And another homegrown talent, we've got two of them. We've got Lucien Cambric and Ahmad Ferguson, who are both products of the South Side of Chicago. And they add a certain amount of not only gravity but reality to our series. And I'm really proud of that. And Anthony Fleming, the third, my Columbia College Chicago Alumni is really great, too. So, I've just been blessed with an incredible cast.
 
John Betancourt: Perfect, well, thank you for your time today, Joseph. Can’t wait for folks to see the show, it’s phenomenal. 
 
Joseph Sikora: Thank you, John.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

---