The third season of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” continues to immerse audiences into the complex lives of the Thomas family as well as the complex lies spun by queen pin and matriarch, Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miller).
While recovering from a near-death experience, Raq decides she’s ready for a fresh start, however, the time for atonement may be too little too late as her son, Kanan, (MeKai Curtis) as well as her brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou (Malcolm Mays) are already aware of the depth of Raq’s deceit.
Moreover, Raq’s reputation precedes her when Italian mob boss Stefano (Tony Danza) gives her a threatening ultimatum, and a new adversary, Unique’s brother, Ronnie (Grantham Coleman) is out for revenge. In exclusive interviews, the cast of “Raising Kanan” gives insight into what to expect from their interwoven relationships this season.
While there are a few glimpses into Raq’s vulnerable side, it’s hard for her to let her guard down in such a male-dominated industry. When asked what advice she would give to Raq about navigating her present circumstances, Miller shares, “When it comes to motherhood, I would tell Raq to give herself grace. She really does battle with every lie she has to tell. She has anxiety like everyone else, but I do think that she’s a good mom with great intentions.
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“I would also tell her, ‘You’re a good sister, you’ve taken care of your family and fed a lot of different people.’ Obviously, she wants power but she comes from a good place and she’s a good person.”
After several haphazard attempts at trying to ingratiate himself into the family business, Kanan may have finally found a niche for himself and his best friend Famous (Antonio Ortiz) through a courier delivery service. Hellbent on not taking any handouts from his mother, actor MeKai Curtis speaks on Kanan’s newfound independence.
“Kanan is a person who always gives Raq the benefit of the doubt and he tries to see things from her perspective because Raq is the person that he trusts the most, she’s the person who his world is essentially built around. Even after finding out the initial couple of truths, he still leans into his love for his mom and is willing to do anything for her.”
He continues, “But now Kanan realizes that the things that Raq continually says she’s doing in the name of her son are really in her best interest. He sees the world for what it is and now he’s trying to move accordingly.”
While Raq and Kanan’s relationship is on the outs, Uncle Marvin and Jukebox’s (Hailey Kilgore) relationship is on the mend after Marvin’s visceral reaction to Juke’s relationship with Nicole (Annabelle Zasowski) followed by the untimely death of her mother, Kenya (LeToya Luckett).
“Marvin can’t undo what he did or necessarily make up for the times he wasn’t there so now he has to say, ‘I’ve learned from that and I want to try and be more present.’ Marvin is trying to find a balance between not being there at all and trying too hard to be present,” said Brown.
Echoing similar sentiments, Kilgore shared, “As much as I advocate for Juke and her emotions, as a viewer and someone who loves the show, I want Juke to open herself up more to the idea of having a relationship with her dad.
“I love that now we can have the conversation about not having to maintain a relationship with a parent who didn’t treat you right or show you love but back in the 90s it was different. So, I think people will be excited to see how the two of them try to forge that relationship.”
This season also explores the maturation of Raq and Marvin’s youngest brother “Lou Lou,” who uses alcohol as a coping mechanism following his failed attempts at dissociating himself from the family business.
“I hope my performance can invoke people’s empathy for people who deal with trauma-based addictions or trauma-based vices,” said actor Malcolm Mays.
“We all know someone who’s experienced addiction so I hope that I can bring humanity to the role and help the audience to feel more for those people.”
Season three also introduces audiences to a new sibling dynamic, Unique and Ronnie. Actor Grantham Coleman is phenomenally cast as a stoic and menacing figure who was recently released from prison and ready to reclaim his place at the helm of the empire he built prior to his incarceration.
When asked what will make Ronnie a more difficult adversary for Raq to beat, Coleman shares, “As Ronnie views the world, there’s no capitulation. There are no arguments to be made, he’s not one to give up anything. When you meet an individual like that, it’s black and white, win or lose.”
In the case of Unique, being “my brother’s keeper” is difficult when you’re in a secret relationship with your brother’s enemy! Ronnie’s return puts Unique in a precarious situation.
When asked how his character will navigate these two worlds, actor Joey Bada$$ shares, “I’m excited for people to see this new layer of vulnerability for Unique. It’s a new side to him like a work/home life balance if you will that’s coming to the forefront. It adds another layer and more dynamics to this character.”
New episodes of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” air every Friday on STARZ.
