In The Latest Entertainment News Of Michael Rainey Jr.
Power actor Michael Rainey Jr. recently discussed concerns about being typecast playing Tariq St. Patrick on the hit show, per Cassius. The show’s popularity has made him a household name, especially among fans of the show.
However, things will change for the 22-year-old actor as he continues his journey. It’s no secret that during the first installment of the franchise, his character wasn’t always liked by audiences due to some of his choices against his father, James St. Patrick aka Ghost (Omari Hardwick). Book II sees him emerge as an academic thinker with the street hustle.
When asked if he thinks the possibility of having an acting burnout, Rainey Jr. said,
“This industry is definitely timing. You got to pick your jobs wisely. You don’t want to just keep working and working just because you can work. Sometimes you want to be selective with those jobs and make sure you pick the stuff that’s right for you. And that’s not really draining too much of your energy. Make sure it’s the right timing, of course, as well.”
He added,
But you definitely got to give yourself time to live and breathe and be a human at the same time because when you’re in work season, sometimes it could feel like you’re a machine. Sometimes you feel like you’re a robot standing. You wake up on routine then work until night, go back early mornings, late nights. So after that, after you get that work done, sometimes you got to kick back. You always remind yourself that you obviously still got a life to live. You don’t want to overwork yourself.
With the show resting on his shoulders as lead, Rainey Jr. has given thought to how his character can pigeon hold him,
“It’s definitely a thought in my head a lot,” he told the outlet. “With the time that I’ve taken to devote myself to this character, a lot of people, the audience, they haven’t seen me on the screen in a different space in a while, so that’s definitely a thought in my head. But as I said, you just got to keep working and obviously just knowing yourself and being confident in your work and knowing your talent and knowing what you can do with your talent.”
He continued,
“You can never let those kinds of thoughts really weigh you down. And, at the end of the day, you got to know what you’re doing. Like I said, I knew what I wanted to do was kind of just: sit down, lockdown and devote myself to this character.”
While Rainey Jr. has cemented his feet firmly in playing Ghost’s son, he’s up for filling the shoes of new characters,
“I kind of have the blueprint down pact so the hiatus of season four, once I’m done with season four, I’ll definitely probably use that break and definitely step into some different roles to give the audience an opportunity to see me on the screen in a different space, rather than just as Tariq.”
Power Book II: Ghost is slated to return on March 17 on Starz at midnight. Rainey Jr is joined by co-stars Mary J. Blige, Shane Johnson, and Gianni Paolo.
