Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson has praised rising American actor Michael Rainey Jr.
The 45-year-old executive producer said the 19-year-old is going to ‘deliver’ in the lead role in POWER BOOK II: GHOST, as he’s been ‘groomed for it’.
Michael returns as Tariq St. Patrick in Power’s latest instalment, which airs exclusively on Stan in Australia.
‘He’s been groomed for it’: Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson (pictured), 45, said Michael Rainey Jr. is going to ‘deliver’ as the 19-year-old lands the lead role in POWER BOOK II: GHOST
When asked how the storyline will affect Tariq’s mindset, 50 Cent said Michael has now found ‘a real comfort’ in the character that he’s playing.
‘Now it’s just becoming a little more complex the things that they (the writers) have got him doing in it,’ he explained in an interview this month.
‘So I look forward to seeing his performance. I know that he’s going to deliver because he’s always been… he’s been groomed for it.’
On seeing Michael’s talent rise in front of everyone’s eyes, 50 Cent added that it’s ‘exciting’ to see as ‘he’s the biggest prospect on the show’.
Praise: ‘I know that he’s going to deliver because he’s always been… he’s been groomed for it,’ 50 Cent said of Michael (pictured), in an interview this month
‘Like Omari – he’s Omari Hardwick. He’s doing his thing,’ 50 Cent said of the actor who plays Ghost on Power.
‘Everybody else that’s involved with the show is now established as a credible actor.’
POWER BOOK II: GHOST picks up after the dramatic 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 he committed.
Insight on the industry: Last month, Michael told Daily Mail Australia the advice 50 Cent gave him, that’s ‘always stuck’
Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school, where he has to attend to earn his inheritance, and hustling to pay for the defense lawyer who is Tasha’s only hope of getting out of jail.
Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada, played by Mary J. Blige.
Last month, Michael told Daily Mail Australia the advice 50 Cent gave him, that’s ‘always stuck’.
50 Cent is not only executive producer of the Power franchise, but also starred as Kanan Stark until season five.
Both sides of the camera: 50 Cent is not only executive producer of the Power franchise, but also starred as Kanan Stark until season five. Pictured as Kanan
50 Cent’s advice: ‘He said, “Don’t ever feel too entitled to anything, because that’s when you deprive yourself”. So I always keep that in mind,’ Michael, who plays Tariq St. Patrick on Power revealed in an interview with Daily Mail Australia
‘Something he [50 Cent] told me when we were filming season three, when Kanan and Tariq first started hanging out, has always stuck with me,’ Michael said.
‘He said, “Don’t ever feel too entitled to anything, because that’s when you deprive yourself”. So I always keep that in mind.
‘Or don’t think something is always supposed to go your way, because that’s when you deprive yourself and make the situation even worse,’ he continued.
POWER BOOK II: GHOST airs Sundays only on Stan. New episodes are released weekly, same day as the US.
Tune in: POWER BOOK II: GHOST picks up after the dramatic 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 he committed. Michael is pictured with Power creator Courtney A. Kemp