Posted in: Preview, Starz, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: 50 cent, bleeding cool, cable, cliff smith, Courtney Kemp, crime, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, curtis jackson, davis maclean, drama, interview, method man, New York City, nyc, power, power book ii, power book ii: ghost, starz, streaming, television, thriller, tv

Power Book II: Ghost: Method Man Talks Spinoff, Acting Approach & More

The legacy of James "Ghost" St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) rages on through his son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) when STARZ's Power Book II: Ghost premieres on September 6. Picking up directly with the fallout from the original series' finale, Tariq finds himself torn between his late father's demands and his commitment to getting his mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) out of prison. But the sins of the past follow Tariq, threatening his future as he falls under the "mentorship" of drug boss Monet Stewart (Mary J. Blige), who sees Tariq as untapped (and controllable) potential. One person Tariq is hoping to have on Tasha's side is Cliff "Method Man" Smith's Davis Maclean, a brilliant, ethically challenged lawyer with more than a few secrets of his own. Maclean is drawn into Tariq's world- one riddled with murder and drugs, where the only thing he's really addicted to is winning.

In the following interview, Bleeding Cool was able to spend a few minutes speaking with Method Man about the upcoming series, and the similarities and differences in how he approaches music as compared to acting. We also get his thoughts on his character and how he would compare Maclean to a Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul), and what it is about the "Power" franchise that keeps bringing in more and more viewers to its universe:

[Ed Note: That moment before the interview when Method Man jokes that you're both in the "beard gang"…]

"Power Book II: Ghost" picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of "Power" as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with a new world order: his father dead and his mother, Tasha, facing charges for the murder her son committed. Not to mention the academic rigors of the Ivy League university Tariq is attending to earn his inheritance. Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis Maclean, the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha's only hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe. With no better options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada, that's been at it far longer than him. As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.

Power Book II: Ghost stars Michael Rainey Jr. (Power, Lee Daniels' The Butler) as Tariq St. Patrick, Naturi Naughton (Power, Fame) as Tasha St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige (Mudbound, The Umbrella Academy) as Monet Stewart Tejada, Shane Johnson (Power, Behind Enemy Lines) as Cooper Saxe, Gianni Paolo (Ma, The Fosters) as Brayden Weston, Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Ray Donovan, Modern Love) as Tameika Washington, Daniel Bellomy (The Real MVP: The Wanda Durrant Story) as Ezekiel 'Zeke' Cross, Paige Hurd (The Oval, Hawaii Five-O) as Lauren Baldwin, and Cliff "Method Man" Smith (The Deuce, Garden State) as Davis Maclean.

The series also stars Melanie Liburd (This is Us, Gypsy) as Caridad 'Carrie' Milgram, Justin Marcel McManus (Star) as Jabari Reynolds, Woody McClain (The Bobby Brown Story, The New Edition Story) as Cane Tejada, Lovell Adams-Gray (Coroner, Slasher) as Dru Tejada, LaToya Tonodeo (The Oath) as Diana Tejada, and Sherri Saum (Locke & Key) as Paula Matarazzo, top investigator and right-hand of arrogant defense lawyer MacLean.

Power Book II: Ghost is executive produced by series creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp through her company End of Episode and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through his G-Unit Film and Television. Also serving as executive producers on the series are Mark Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment MM, End of Episode's Chris Selak and Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein, and Bart Wenrich. Lionsgate TV produces the series for STARZ. Upcoming "Power" universe-set series include Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Power Book IV: Influence, and the Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora)-fronted Power Book V: Force.

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