Conversations with the Cast of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’

The STARZ series, Power Book II: Ghost, boasts one of the finest ensemble casts to hit the airwaves in recent years. One so large and so dynamic that the show has made a point of utilizing this cast in compelling and fulfilling ways. To the point where entire episodes revolve around them and where background characters are consistently being moved into starring roles as Tariq’s journey continues along and well, with season two of this incredible series on the horizon… we here at Nerds That Geek have quite the treat to offer. 
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In that, we had the opportunity to sit down with the remainder of the cast of this series to talk about season two and their character’s journeys. So without further ado, here is our supersized conversation with Shane Johnson (Cooper Saxe), Larenz Tate (Councilman Rashad Tate), Lovell Adams-Gray (Dru Tejada), LaToya Tonodeo (Diana Tejada), Daniel Bellomy (Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Cross), Melanie Liburd (Caridad ‘Carrie’ Milgram), Paton Ashbrook (Jenny Sullivan), Woody McClain (Cane Tejada), Berto Colon (Lorzeno Tejada) and Daniel Sunjata (Mecca).

Shane Johnson as Cooper Saxe

John Betancourt: What was it that attracted you to your respective characters?
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Shane Johnson: You know, what I would say for me, what attracted me to the role is that I get to be kind of an asshole on the show. It's funny because I actually was up for Tommy first. Which I was like, “That didn't sit with me well at all.” I mean, I was, I was happy to have the audition. But I was like, “This doesn't seem like my casting.” But that's when I met everybody. And then I auditioned for Greg Knox, and he was killed a couple seasons in. And so, I feel like I got the role that has lasted the longest. So that worked out for me. But I also I like being hated, and sort of loved at the same time. You know, like people love to hate Cooper Saxe. And that certainly attracted me to the role.

Larenz Tate: That's happens a lot with our show. I played council-member Rashad Tate, who people love to hate as well. And it was really nice to just sort of lean into a role of a character that I hadn't played in the past. And much like what Shane said, I was actually casted as another character on the show, a character that originally got killed, and I'm happy that didn't work itself out. But when I spoke with Courtney Kemp, and she said, Listen, “Don't worry about the other role. I was away doing another project.” And she says, “I have something that I think you would really, really enjoy.” And I say, “Yeah, a politician?” And she says, “His last name is going to be Tate.” And I was like, well sign me up! Let's do it! You know, I mean, that's easy. There's a connection.

Daniel Bellomy: Well, I mean, one, getting the opportunity to work with Mary J. Blige is a no brainer. But two, you know, personally, I love basketball and have a lot of personal history with the sport. And so being able to sort of get back in it and embrace the physicality of that through the character has been really a gift.

LaToya Tonodeo: Well, for me, I've always loved Power. I had a vision board in 2017. And it's all separated by like, my house and car. And in the middle is like the essence of entertainment stuff and Power and STARZ. They're on there. So, I've always wanted to be a part of Power before I even knew about a Power universe. So, when I got the audition, of course, I was excited. And I went all out. Instead of self-taping at home because it was a self-tape. I was like, I gotta make this look good. So, I booked a place. And I did like a nice background, great lighting, good camera. And now we're here. So, I've always been attracted to Power.

Lovell Adams-Gray: The minute I got the audition, and I looked at the sides, and I looked at, you know, Dru's character breakdown, which I rarely do, by the way, I'll rarely look at breakdowns like that, because I want to be like, “Oh, I gotta be fitting this idea”, you know? But for me, what I loved about Dru’s story was that he was an artist first and foremost. And that was my way in for me. I was like, he loves to create. And as an actor, I go in and like, “Well, this person is an artist. They're going to be the best artist of all time.” You know, that’s what they’re gonna be if they're a painter, if they're a soccer player. They're the best soccer player. You know what I mean? I did a self-tape with my fiancé, Kiana Madiera. And she was like, “draw the most beautiful thing you ever seen.” And I was like, “Well, I'm going to draw the best thing I've ever seen. And I'm going to be the greatest artist.” You know what I mean?.” So, I felt so locked in on that. And it was so easy to latch onto that because it was so clear. And I think as a way in for Dru, that was my favorite. That is still my favorite thing about him, his heart and his artist’s heart.

Melanie Liburd: Oh, well, for me. One, I had a phone call with Courtney Kemp, and I just was a fan of hers already. So, it was such a treat to have a call with her. And the way she writes characters is so fun and so exciting and the character, Carrie, was so complex. You know, Carrie’s an addict. She's also a professor. She's brilliant. She's good at what she does, but she makes terrible decisions. She's having an affair with one of our students. And she found herself in a very toxic relationship. So, for me as an actress, it was really complex and gave me something to really get my teeth into and a real challenge as well at the same time. So, it was as absolute “Yes,” for me from the beginning.

Paton Ashbrook: I would say almost the same exact thing. I think that Courtney has such a gift writing women roles, like not just like the quote unquote, strong female role, they're complicated, they make bad choices. They're messy. They're also brilliant. Like, all the women on the show are actually incredibly intelligent and have so much agency. And that was a huge thing for me as an actor, because you know, it's getting better for sure. But getting to play a character with so much agency and also who's so calculated and so good at her job and has a very powerful presence was really lovely to get to step into and lean into and feel that in me. So yeah, it was a yes, right off the bat for me as well and to join this incredible universe of all these amazing characters and the incredible story, has been such a such an exciting thing to be a part of.

Berto Colon: So, for me, it was this idea of keeping something together, keeping your family together. For me personally, it was a completely different environment, right? I get to take liberties that I wouldn't in real life. And the further away from my characters that I am, the more comfortable I seem to feel. So, that's what attracted me most. Same intentions completely different set of circumstances.

Woody McClain: I think for me, personally, I think what attracted me to it, was Cane is such… he's so psychotic. But I see it as a challenge for me, to make him normal. That's like the challenge for me. So, I really seen that character like, “Yeah, this is going to be a great challenge for me to make somebody that's so psychotic, normal.” So that was it for me.

Daniel Sunjata: Yeah, and for myself, I would just say the character of Mecca is so unlike any character that I've ever played before, and I was very attracted to the darkness, I was very attracted to that just the prospect of being able to play kind of a heavy, the baddie, kind of guy. So, it was just a cool character.

Woody McClain and Berto Colon as Cane and Lorenzo Tejada

John Betancourt: What would you say your characters are searching for in season two?
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Shane Johnson: Yeah, for me, I think that Cooper Saxe has been knocked down and had so many L’s, you know, and I think this string of L's has gotten pretty deep for him. So, I think it's a matter of trying to figure out how I can claw and scrape my way back into the game, and find my way to a win, you know, and so I think that that's what he's about, it's like, he's not going to let this series of events that have left him at the bottom of the barrel, be the thing that defines him.

Larenz Tate: I think Rashad has some serious hurdles in front of him. When we see him in season two, his thing is just about, you know, his get back, you know, nothing will stop him. You know, he's the type of guy that is like, listen, he has an agenda. And he certainly believes that he should be a public official in government. And, you know, the idea of having influence and power to move people… the real thing is, is it for selfish reasons? Or is it for selfless reasons? And so, there's some really, you know, interesting duality there and back and forth.

Daniel Bellomy: My character is, you know, fighting for the right for his future. For all the things that he's worked so hard for, and, you know, having to determine whether or not you know, what sacrifices he'll have to make to achieve that.

Lovell Adams-Grey: That question, for some reason, ignited the word ‘agency’ in my mind. And I feel like Drew was searching for agency and his own voice and who he's going to be, you know, stepping into his manhood part of his chapter of his life.

LaToya Tonodeo: Um, I would say family. I'm thinking of her family, fighting for her family, and making sure that that family unit is together and solid as a rock that nothing can come in and infiltrate or break it. That foundation to be solid.

Paton Ashbrook: Jenny's searching for the killer of Jabari Reynolds. For sure. Just say a very basic thing. You know, that is her job. That's what she's doing. I think she's searching for things that she's not even aware that she's searching for, which is really fun to play. Because there are things that me as the actor, I get to know but as I play Jenny, she doesn't necessarily consciously know that she's doing. So yeah, it's again, like adds a whole new layer of nuance to how she navigates the world and with relationships as they develop with other characters that you'll get to see in season two.

Melanie Liburd: And I think Carrie, I mean, Carrie's an addict, there's a lot of things that she needs healing from and she's not in an evolved place right now. She's still making bad decisions. Aside from that, additionally, I feel like Carrie needs help and she needs to go inwards and try and find herself more and kind of grow up in a way but. On the work side, on the flip side of it, and the relationship side, she's looking for Jabari’s murderer. She's looking for justice. She steps into that role again in season two with being a prosecutor and is really trying to look out for who killed Jabari.

Woody McClain: For Cane, personally, he's seeking respect.

Berto Colon: I think Lorenzo as always, he's, protecting and seeking control. You know, essentially, that's who Lorenzo is.

Daniel Sunjata: Yeah. It’s hard to talk about what Mecca wants. Obviously, he's only introduced in season two. But this falls under the category of spoilers, so I don't think I can really say what he wants. But I will say that he pulls out all stops when it comes to going after it.

Mary J. Blige and Daniel Bellomy as Monet Tejada and Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Cross

John Betancourt: How do you as actors, get into the mindset to play characters that operate in such grey areas? Or decompress from playing that kind of character?
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Shane Johnson: For me, I think one of the biggest challenges playing a role like both of us play is that, you know, I can't judge Cooper Saxe. You can read it on paper go like “this guy” and you can really get into it as an audience member, judging him. But for me, as an actor, I can't judge Cooper Saxe, Everything I do has to be justified through his system of ethics and beliefs. And so, somebody else may go like, “Oh, that's slimy, or corrupt” or whatever. But I have to sleep at night. Well, not Shane, but Cooper Saxe has to sleep.

Larenz Tate: Well, as an actor, you know, you have the freedom. Well, at least on this show, you have the freedom to do things you probably wouldn't be able to do in your, your personal life, in the real world. And so, when you can play a guy, a character who can be as Shane said, you know, an a-hole, I mean, it's kind of fun. I mean, I've played a lot of good guys, and over my career, so it's just kind of fun to play somebody that is either seen as slick or, you know, he's a little he's a little grimy and slimy, but I like to bring a little humanity to him. I like to bring a little charisma and charm to him so that when he is being that way, it's more palpable.

Lovell Adams-Grey: For myself, I think a lot of decompression. This content gets heavy. And you know, going into these things and dipping your toes into a world where, its drugs, it's crime, it's love, it's passion. It can feel very heavy upon your spirit as an actor. And so, a lot of times, I'll be at home on the games, Ghost of Tsushima, Call of Duty, whatever. This is what I'm doing for the day. Nobody talk to me, nobody call me.

Daniel Bellomy: Oh, yeah, I mean, like, such heavy, heavy, heavy, just drama, and especially in this season, and I found myself literally working it out on the court. 7am, you know, taking the train to Chelsea Piers. So, basketball was really a literal outlet for me during the season.

LaToya Tonodeo: Well, I would just say shopping is so good. You know, you got to get outside get that fresh air the vitamin D and even if it's window shopping, you don't have to buy everything you see. Save your money, but I like to shop. Yeah, that's my outlet.

Daniel Sunjata: A lot of it's on the page, a lot of it is just, it's kind of right there. It's easy to pull, it's so well written, it's easy to take it off the page and bring it to life. And then, you know, I won't speak for my costars here. But I was also given a top-secret document. I can't tell you exactly, what was contained therein, but it gave me backstory, and also told me the trajectory of my character throughout the course of the season. So that that helps you to prepare and know, generally, what's coming, and how to get into the right headspace to deliver that.

Berto Colon: I was privy to a lot of information. I don't know if my document was as top secret as Daniel’s, but you know, being able to actually go over your performance with the show creator helps a whole lot. You know, essentially understanding her idea of what this person is and her graciousness, and telling you, “Hey, this is what I see. What do you think?” And every time before work, I just think about that day, think about that question. And, I know what the intention is, I know what the idea is, the origins. Thank you. And I just go in and I just, you know, perform.

Melanie Liburd as Caridad ‘Carrie’ Milgram

John Betancourt: What are you most looking forward to fans experiencing in season two, without spoilers of course?
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Shane Johnson: I would just say I'm always really so impressed with how we get sort of written into a corner and manage to find our way out of it and stuff really does get more amped every year. I sort of feel like okay, well, we're not going to top season six of Power. And they always manage to find a way to. You know, we read the scripts, and they blow they blow me out when I read them. We really advance the stories, the characters, people are compromised more and more. I feel like the passions are flowing heavy in this season, and I'm looking forward to everybody getting to see it and react to it.

Larenz Tate: The evolution of the stories, how they all sort of intertwine. There are a lot of new characters that you know, the audiences will get to see. One in particular I'm really excited about is the fact that Rashad’s brother, Kamal, who's my real brother in real life, Lahmard, he gets to come and play with us again on this. So, I'm, I'm excited about that. So, I'm hoping that the audience will enjoy those, those dynamics between the brotherly love and hate.

Lovell Adams-Grey: Their pearls to be clutched.

LaToya Tonoedo: I feel like this season… first season was great. But there's so many twists and turns like, literally, no, you know what, that's an understatement. There's so many things that's going to happen that I feel like the fans… because a lot of our fans, even me, try to predict what's going to happen this season. You can't predict it. I really feel like you cannot predict the season at all. If they do… they’re really good!

Daniel Bellomy: Yeah, they're gonna have some heart wrenching moments and just the ups and downs, the twists and turns are insane. For real.

Paton Ashbrook I'm really looking forward to seeing how the fans receive Jenny. Like, I can't wait, um, because she's, you know, she's… I keep saying this over and over again, but she is a complicated person. And she's not always you know, as you can see from season one, she's not always a super likable person, but she actually has a really good sense of humor. So that was a lot of fun to play. And I'm really excited to see how that's received in particular.

Melanie Liburd: In season one, everyone was in their separate worlds, the professors were in their university, you know, Tariq was kind of in and out and in his separate worlds, and I feel like season two has been so amazing. And I can't give too much away. But we see more of those worlds come together and collide and it's very exciting.

Woody McClain: I feel like without spoiling anything, a lot of characters within season two have to… everybody has to sacrifice something.

Daniel Sunjata: I just think that the show continues to evolve. You know, I mean, season one was excellent. And I think that season two, it follows very nicely and flows very nicely from the first season. We’re texturizing the characters, adding dimension to the world, you know, of the world of Ghost within the universe that is Power, the Power universe. And, yeah, I just think that I'm looking forward to the show gaining even more fans, and just continuing to entertain people, you know, I mean, that's what we're here for.

Berto Colon: To second Daniel’s words, it's a development. It's an ongoing development and seems to follow an interesting flow. They (the fans) will be happy with the end result. I think this is going to flow like season one, but little bit further.

This interview was lightly edited and condensed for clarity.