The POWER universe is a world that continues to reveal itself across various timelines and it’s not stopping anytime soon! POWER BOOK III: Raising Kanan is currently releasing episodes of its final season which you can watch on STARZ. We have chatted with various cast and filmmakers across the franchise in our issues. In this month’s issue, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Mekai Curtis (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; The Lion Guard; POWER: Origins), Patina Miller (The Hunger Games franchise, The Many Saints of Newark, Madam Secretary), Erika Woods (Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, FBI franchise), London Brown (Ballers, Tales From the Hood 3, American Soul), and Sascha Penn (By Any Means, Cliffhanger, Power: Origins) to talk about this season, the series, and what they are excited for the fans to see!
ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so nice to connect with you all as we navigate the final season of POWER BOOK III: Raising Kanan! It‘s great that we are speaking with Mekkai, Patina, and Erika for the first time. In addition, being able to circle back to London and Sasha who we have interviewed prior to the S1 premier of this series as well as other times, and being able to circle back to you as this season comes to an end.
What have you enjoyed about being in this show?
MEKAI CURTIS: I’ve gotten to enjoy getting to grow as an artist and playing Kanan. I’ve gotten to kind of sink my teeth into this! I know that sounds like such a trope that every actor says. Actually being able to pull the layers back on a character and reveal that sort of thing. That’s something that, you know, any actor kind of dreams of. So that’s what’s been fun.
PATINA MILLER: I mean, I think being able to do incredible work with really great artists is kind of the actor’s dream. You know, it was a franchise that... was already amazing and so to be able to be a part of something that people love, being in this fandom where you know our fans of the POWER show are just so intense and love the show so much and so the opportunity to be able to jump into something like that and be a part of it and you know work with great material, great people, and a great crew you can’t ask for anything more!
ERIKA WOODS: I enjoy the slow boil that is Pop. You know, she starts off, she doesn’t say much. She sits at the table. She counts money. All of that is great. But this last season and getting to handle that business with Crystal (Aliyah Turner) and handling business with Famous (Antonio Ortiz). I just thought it was so many different layers and it’s just so much fun just playing with what motivates her and why she did what she did. It’s been a wonderful ride.
LONDON BROWN: First and foremost, likewise, I have enjoyed chatting with you.
I have been enjoying the checks, you know, staying employed haha.
No, no, no. You know, playing Marvin - as an actor, you want to find these characters where you can really have fun with. I’m so glad they allowed me to explore and let me play. You know, because sometimes you never know. Sometimes the writers have a strict idea about a character, but they were totally cool. They let me go and let me bring Marvin to life. And so just to have them to trust me to do that, that has been a great time. So that’s been wonderful.
SASCHA PENN: It’s good seeing you. Thanks for coming back.
AM: We have enjoyed seeing how this series in this universe has evolved! So it is interesting to see your perspective as the Executive Producer, Creator, Showrunner, Writer, you wear a lot of hats.
SP: I mean, look, I think... I’ve really enjoyed like working with people that I love and respect, you know, that’s first and foremost, that’s been kind of amazing. I’ve really been fortunate in that I’ve worked with people who frankly, I think have made me better at my job and maybe better even beyond my job. So, I think that’s also been like an incredibly satisfying piece of the experience. Look, it’s an amazing thing to be able to write a story and share it with a broad audience. And to have that audience respond mostly positively is always great, too. So, you know, it’s been kind of an amazing experience from start to finish. On some level, I’m sorry, it’s over. On the other hand, I do feel like it ended at the right moment in terms of the stories that we’ve been telling. So, you know, it’s bittersweet. But at the end of the day, I feel like we answered every question we asked. Let’s put it that way.
AM: The cast has such a great presence and it’s great to see the dynamics between one another as well as those behind the screen that create the story that is being brought to life. What are you excited for viewers to see of your character or the show?
MC: Honestly, I’m just excited for people to see the question that’s been asked since day one of the show, like how Kanan became Kanan, the people that influenced that, the environment, I’m excited for people to have more context as the show has kind of just revealed as it’s went on. But, you know, going into its final season, you see a lot of questions answered that everybody’s had.
PM: I mean, I’m always excited. You know, anytime an opportunity to be able to get another season is incredible.
You know, so for us to be able to do 5 seasons and this being the final one, I guess I’m just excited for the finale and for, like Mekkai said, to understand. It’s been incredible sitting with these characters in this world for so long. And, you know, I have loved it. And, you know, it’s going to be... It’s going to be fantastic. I can’t wait to hear what people think about it. But I think it’s a wonderful ending to a really great chapter in this series.
LB: Well, I’m excited for them to see S5 because we get into it. We really peel back the layers. There’s a lot of vulnerability in S5. And especially with Marvin, people get to see a different side of Marvin. I know people are used to some of the comedic stuff, and he’s not the comedic relief at all. People still have found him to be likable and that’s cool. But I think now people are going to really love Marvin. Not because he’s perfect or anything, but because he’s so imperfect. I think people feel like, man, they are going to really be able to, they’re going to root for him or want to, you know, when it comes to Marvin for S5 and that’s going to be dope.
EW: You know, I’m curious for people to see exactly why Crystal was killed. Exactly who killed her? Was I alone - allegedly. Constantly people want to know that and the dynamic between Pop and Snaps (Wendell Pierce).
AM: Yeah.
EW: You know, you never saw them one without the other.
AM: Right.
EW: So for people to see, oh, they’re solid or, or really just see the dynamics of that partnership playing out. And now with our nephew, I think that there’s a lot of questions that I’m eager to be answered in the way they’re answered.
AM: That’s going to be exciting to see how the pieces come together!
SP: I mean, look, I guess I’m excited for them to see all of it. I’m so curious and excited to hear sort of where the viewers end up on all these different characters. Like the final analysis, what do you think of Raq (Patina Miller) and what do you think of Marvin? I’m just so curious because I’ve been surprised. I’ve been surprised over the course of these seasons. For example, after Marvin put his hands on his daughter in episode 108, people were like, that’s it for Marvin. I hate this guy. And then now Marvin is truly probably the most beloved character on Raising Kanan. It’s interesting to see how that all evolves and changes and shifts. That’s really interesting. For me as the person who’s sort of, I guess, writing it and guiding it it’s instructive.
AM: What is the biggest takeaway that you’re going to leave with, you know, coming out of this world, coming out of this series?
MC: Hmm it’s a toughie!
PM: It is tough! There’s so many things that you learn. Every show that you are able to be a part of every job, you learn something, right? I think you want to leave better than when you entered, you know? You hope that you can be inspired by the work and by the people. You hope that within the process, you’ve given everything that you could and you showed up and you were happy and you’re happy with the work, happy what you’ve left behind, you know. So I’m very happy with how this worked out. I was excited going into it and I was excited to the very end and to show up for work every day and to love what you do and to work with incredible artists. I know I keep saying it, but it is so true. Working with incredible people, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s just showing up, doing the thing that you’ve always dreamt of doing.
MC: I have nothing. I was literally about to say – I have nothing.
AM: Samesies!
MC: Patina is always able to, you know, I think that’s, again, just a testament to the work that we’ve done and the impact that we’ve made on each other is, you know, she just finished the same thought that I had. Being able to leave a legacy behind with the work that you’re doing and being able to connect with so many other people that inspire you to push you. You know, that’s what I’m excited for. That’s what this has been. That’s the blessing this has left me with.
PM: You know, you leave being more. There’s more belief in yourself and I’m a better actor for having being pushed, gone to my limits, really being tested. `Really! I mean, we’ve had to do a lot of vulnerable things. I mean, working with Mekkai and seeing how he’s had to, like, flex, you know, different parts of his instrument. And I’ve had to flex so many different parts of my instrument. You don’t really get that in every job that you do. You’re the one type of character. But all of these characters in this show have had such amazing journeys where I feel so fulfilled with being able to have pulled out so many different things to use. And, yeah, I’m better now than when I started, you know? So that’s the dream.
AM: Now that the show is coming to an end, what has been your biggest takeaway being a part of this series, part of this universe that people love so much?
EW: You know, I think my biggest takeaway is you can’t always focus on the awards.
AM: Right.
EW: The level of acting that I have been able to be around to learn from Patina Miller, Wendell Pierce (Elsbeth, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, Jack Ryan series) and Shameik Moore (Wu-Tang: An American Saga, The Get Down, Dope). I mean, I just, everyone is so good. Joey Bada$$ (Grown-ish, Boomerang, Mr. Robot), all of these actors are so amazing. And it’s just wonderful to see them all get to explore these wonderful roles and play with this great material. And it’s not just, you know, guns and you know it’s it’s stories of families and relationships between mothers and kids and you know, spouses. So it’s just wonderful when you, when you see that and it crosses all races. We have Asians. We did every race - that I loved because there’s so many different parts of New York. I just, I loved it. All, you know, we’ve had Indian, we’ve had, we are United Nations and it is just so wonderful to explore that within the show.
LB: Just more confidence in the craft because this project was able to, I could feel that it pushed me in different areas as an actor that I hadn’t really touched on before. So it just kind of really sets me up going into the next thing. And so I’m glad this was a good, actor’s gym session for me doing this show. And I’m glad I was able to put on some weight after doing this show.
SP: Look, I think my biggest takeaway is just like you can’t do this on your own. To be truly great, you need to be surrounded by great people! So that’s one of my biggest takeaways. You know, I do have a tremendous amount of gratitude for 50 (Street Fighter, Fightland, BMF) and Courtney (Nemesis, The Good Wife, POWER franchise) and Mark Canton (Den of Thieves franchise, Escape Plan franchise, 300) and, you know, all these different people who brought me in. Obviously, my friends at Lionsgate and Starz.
You know, it is a humbling experience. You know, it’s truly humbling.
Like, here I am. You know, the act of being a writer, most of it is you sit in front of your computer by yourself in a room and tap away.
AM: Yeah.
SP: In rare instances, I get to sit with Kimmie from Athleisure Mag and I get to talk about things that I created by myself sitting in a room.
AM: Which is crazy.
SP: It’s crazy, right? It is crazy. And that is in and of itself like a tremendous, tremendous sort of gift to have. So there you go.
AM: Thank you guys for taking the time with us as S5 comes to an end as it has been a fantastic series! It’s been amazing to see the range and journey of the characters and how they sit in the overall universe. It’s bittersweet to know that the end is coming it has been so great to see the complexity, fashion, how it is shot and so many elements that have come together to create this series!
This universe is one that has been exciting to look at from various vantage points starting with the flagship POWER, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force! We also can’t wait to see that universe continue on with the prequel that has begun filming with Power: Origins which picks up after the events taking place in Raising Kanan so we can’t wait to see more of Mekkai! We’re also looking forward to Power: Legacy with Michael Rainey and Joseph Sikora. So the universe will continue and I look forward to seeing your projects within this world and outside of it.
MC: It was great talking with you today!
PM: It’s been a great time.
EW: It was great to be here.
LB: Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you!
SP: Thank you. I really appreciate it. Thank you for sticking around.
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Starz
Read the JUN ISSUE #126 of Athleisure Mag and see POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN | The Final Chapter in mag.
