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Michael Rainey Jr. is opening up and sharing his thoughts about his longtime role in the Power series. As well as his fears of being typecast as an actor.
The 22-year-old shared his thoughts on his years-long acting career, and his role as Tariq St. Patrick, in an exclusive interview with Cassius Life. Additionally, the actor explained that he’s “learning how to just prepare” for future opportunities coming his way. And he’s surprised at how fans of the series have come to embrace his character, Tariq.
I did not think in a million years people would be writing some of the things they write about Tariq now, especially the show being based on him… now, they’re kind of on his side. He’s still got to get some of them on his side, but for the most part, they’re rocking with team Riq now, so it’s definitely a crazy thing.
Rainey Jr. even shared some advice for aspiring actors.
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.
In addition, he further explained how much he devoted himself to his role in Power.
And I feel like that’s kind of where I found myself, just working on Power and trying to just become the best I can be for this show. I’ve kind of devoted myself to this show a lot because they put a lot into me by believing in me to carry the show on my shoulders…
But you definitely got to give yourself time to live… You always remind yourself that you obviously still got a life to live. You don’t want to overwork yourself.
But you do want to work so you know you can relax in the future…
The 22-year-old then shared that the thought often crosses his mind about being typecast due to his role as Tariq St. Patrick. But he strives to remain confident in his work and his performance.
It’s definitely a thought in my head a lot because, like I said, 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… being confident in your work and knowing your talent and knowing what you can do with your talent.
Rainey Jr. explained that he doesn’t let those thoughts weigh him down. And he plans to use his time away from the show to pick up other roles.
You can never let those kinds of thoughts really weigh you down… I’ve been playing the character for a long time, but now I find myself in a rhythm to where I’m not doing so much figuring out. And 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.
Additionally, Rainey Jr. even jokingly addressed fans’ biggest concern about his Power character: his lack of a car.
Yeah. That boy ‘Riq has been getting around on foot for a long time. All this money he’s making, I don’t know what he’s spending it on. Obviously, he got lawyer fees, his mama’s lawyer fees, but at this point, it’s time for a whip. You’re in New York. It’s time for a whip, so hopefully season three, he gets a set of wheels. They see him pushing it around New York City. But I know he be tired.
Roommates, do you agree with the 22-year-old’s thoughts of being typecast?
