‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Exclusive: Michael Rainey Jr. & LaToya Tonodeo Talk About Tariq & Diana Becoming Parents, Doing Stunts & More
Power Book II: Ghost is back, and we are officially in the final stretch of the Power spinoff. Part one of the final season ended with Riq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) learning they would be parents and now have to work together to raise a child.
But that’s easier said than done. Diana wants to bring her child into a world free of drug dealing and any other drama that comes with that life, while Riq still wants to keep his toes in the game.
In the latest episode, their potential family is already being put to the test due to an overzealous dirty cop and his crew pressuring Diana to do something she doesn’t want to do, and Riq is still trying to make moves in the drug dealing business.
Cassius Life’s Bernard Beanz Smalls spoke with Michael Rainey Jr. and LaToya Tonodeo ahead of the most recent episode about their character’s current dilemmas this season.
Riq & Diana Are Trying Not To Make The Same Mistakes Their Parents Made
Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost
Both characters come from very unique and, in both cases, broken homes. Both Riq and Diana’s parents were involved in drug dealing and other nefarious activities, and they felt they had to take care of their families.
So it should come as no surprise that Rainey Jr. and Tonodeo feel their characters’ parents are cautionary tales about what not to do when raising their child.
“I feel like they definitely have a lot of examples of what not to be, and also examples of what they want to take from… What they want to be, plus their own circumstances in life that they’re living on their own,” Tonodeo said.
Tariq wants to be on top of the game; he wants to be the apex predator, but Diana, she wants nothing to do with anything as far as the game goes.
Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost
Rainey Jr. adds, “Yeah, like she said, they have very good examples of what they don’t want to become, but also I feel like it is going to be a pretty tough journey for them. One, because they want two different things from the world.”
Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost
He continues, “Tariq wants to be on top of the game; he wants to be the apex predator, but Diana, she wants nothing to do with anything as far as the game goes, so I feel like that’s going to be a challenge within itself for those two.”
With The Baby’s Health In Danger, Will That Bring Diana & Riq Closer Together?
Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost
In the premiere of part two’s episode, Diana asks her baby daddy to take care of task one of Detective Carter’s goon tasked her with carrying out, but it doesn’t sit well with the crooked cop.
The dirty cop finds Diana and beats her unconscious, kicking her in the stomach and putting the baby’s life in grave jeopardy. Riq finds the mother of his child in an alley and screams for help. We asked both actors about that moment, what that would mean for the characters going forward, and if that would bring them closer.
Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost
“A hundred percent. Tariq, he’s Tariq, but at the end of the day, he’s there for the people that he’s there for, and I feel like obviously, being that Diana’s holding his baby, he’s going to be there for her more than ever. So that’s definitely going to change. It is going to change some things for them too, for sure,” Rainey Jr. said.
I feel like obviously, being that Diana’s holding his baby, he’s going to be there for her more than ever.
Michael Rainey Jr. & LaToya Tonodeo Love That Roles Are Getting More Physical This Season
Source: Stars / Power Book II: Ghost / Michael Rainey Jr.
The latest episode also shows these two actors are down to get a bit physical. In one scene, Riq gets into a huge fight with Zion, even getting thrown through a wall, while Diana tries to fend off her attacker and protect her unborn child.
Both actors expressed excitement at doing more physically demanding scenes, with Tonodeo expressing that she feels it’s prepping her to take on more action-based roles like becoming a superhero.
“I just like the action scenes; for me, they’re fun,” Rainey Jr. begins. “I like doing the stunts and everything, choreographing everything, so for me, it’d be lit. It is just a whole other aspect of acting. It is fun.”
Source: Stars / Power Book II: Ghost
“Same, exactly what he said,” Tonodeo agrees. “This might sound cheesy, but I really want to be a superhero, so being able to do these stunt scenes and work with choreography and all the things now, I’m like, okay, cool. This is putting me in the place that I need to be, and I could use all that for my reel because I am definitely trying to be a superhero or something. I’m just saying, let me put that out there now. Okay.”
Michael Rainey Jr. Reveals What He’s Going To Miss The Most While Filming Power Book II: Ghost
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty
All good things must come to an end. We think it’s still too soon for Power Book II: Ghost to end, but the Starz execs feel the show has run its course.
We asked both actors what they would miss the most while working on the hit Starz show. Rainey Jr.’s answer, who spoke for both of them, shouldn’t surprise you; it’s the people involved with making this show the phenomenon it is.
Keep it locked on Cassius Life for more Power Book II: Ghost recaps and exclusive interviews during the final season.
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