'Power Book II: Ghost' Season 3 Cast Interviews

Moviefone speaks with Michael Rainey Jr., Gianni Paolo, and Alix Lapri about 'Power Book II: Ghost' Season 3. "Tariq, he just needs that money," Rainey said.

Premiering on Starz beginning March 17th is the third season of the popular series ‘Power Book II: Ghost,’ which is the first series in the expanded 'Power' Universe franchise.

What is the plot of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 3?

The third season of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ kicks off with Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.) determined to get his trust, get back to his family, and get out of the game for good. The emergence of a ruthless new connect interrupts Tariq’s plans to reunite with Tasha (Naturi Naughton) and Yaz (Paris Morgan) and puts him, Brayden (Gianni Paolo), and Effie (Alix Lapri) back into business with the Tejadas (Mary J. Blige and Lovell Adams-Gray) as they’re challenged to move more weight than ever before.

When Brayden brings Tariq in as an intern at his family’s hedge fund Weston Holdings, the drug business expands beyond Stansfield and the streets onto Wall Street, while Tariq is also shown an alternate, legitimate path to success. Monet Tejada, set ablaze by the death of her son Zeke Cross (Daniel Bellomy), is willing to pay a hefty price to avenge her firstborn and keep the rest of her children - and the business - in line as she works closely with Davis MacLean (Method Man) to solve Zeke’s murder and keep the feds off her trail. Business is booming when a staggering reveal forces Tariq to reckon with a betrayal from those closest to him... and a R.I.C.O. investigation mounting into the entire drug enterprise, pulling Tariq deeper into the business and even closer to the legacy of his father.

Who is in the cast of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 3?

“Power Book II: Ghost” season 3 stars Michael Rainey Jr. (‘The Butler’) as Tariq St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige (‘Mudbound’) as Monet Stewart Tejada, Shane Johnson (‘Behind Enemy Lines’) as Cooper Saxe, Gianni Paolo (‘Ma’) as Brayden Weston, Cliff “Method Man” Smith (‘Garden State’) as Davis MacLean, Larenz Tate (‘Ray’) as Rashad Tate, Alix Lapri (‘Den of Thieves’) as Effie Morales, Berto Colon as Lorenzo Tejada, Woody McClain as Cane Tejada, Lovell Adams-Gray as Dru Tejada, LaToya Tonodeo as Diana Tejada, and Paton Ashbrook as Jenny Sullivan.

Joining the cast for season 3 are Monique Curnen (‘The Dark Knight’) as Detective Blanca Rodriguez, David Walton (‘Bad Moms’) as Lucas Weston, Moriah Brown as KeKe Travis, and Keesha Sharp as Professor Harper Bennet.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down with actors Michael Rainey Jr., Gianni Paolo, and Alix Lapri to talk about their work on season 3 of 'Power Book II: Ghost,’ their characters, new cast members, and what fans of the series can expect.

(L to R) Alix Lapri ("Effie Morales"), Michael Rainey Jr. ("Tariq St. Patrick"), and Gianni Paolo ("Brayden Weston") in STARZ's 'Power Book II: Ghost' season 3.

You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with the cast of 'Power Book II: Ghost.’

Moviefone: To begin with, Michael, can you talk about where we find Tariq when the new season begins?

Michael Rainey Jr.: Man, season two ended and he was, I would say, betrayed in a way. Then him leaving, obviously getting into all that, the whole mission done with Monet and Mecca and everything. Him leaving the building, the cameras literally recording him leaving and coming into the building. That's a loose end right there at the end of season two, that's a super loose end. He's on camera, on surveillance camera and now it’s just the beginning of season three. He's going to figure out how to navigate through that, so he has that in the back of his mind. That might catch up with him, that might not.

Gianni Paolo (“Brayden Weston”) stars in STARZ's 'Power Book II: Ghost' season 3.

MF: Gianni, Brayden has gone deeper into the drug business than he expected, what’s he dealing with in season 3?

Gianni Paolo: I think he definitely thought it was this fun thing at the beginning and you don't know what you're getting involved in until everything starts unfolding. But I feel like he does a good job of navigating it and as scary as it gets, I feel like he just starts to like it even more this season.

MF: Alex, can you talk about Effie’s relationship with Tariq this season?

Alix Lapri: Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. Who knows? It's a push and pull. It's definitely a power struggle dealing with us too. It's always give and take, a push and pull. It's very toxic. It's very dangerous, depending on who you ask. So, I don't know. We'll see. We'll see which direction it goes.