There’s a new “badass queenpin” in town in “Power Book II: Ghost,” and her name is Noma. In true “Power” fashion, the spin-off series introduces one of its ruthless new characters, played by Caroline Chikezie, in the most explosive fashion possible when it premieres season three, which airs March 17.
The episode’s opening scene ends with Noma cutting off a woman’s hand to retrieve an auctioned blue diamond ring that her fiancé, Mecca (Daniel Sunjata), was supposed to give her before he was killed. . (Aka the same ring Mecca gave Monet in season two.) But Noma doesn’t even really make her presence known until halfway through the premiere, when she finds herself on Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.), Brayden ( Gianni Paolo) and Cane (Woody McClain) at the Mecca penthouse, demanding that they start selling her drugs as penance for, she believes, killing her first mate.
According to Starz, Noma is the “ruthless new connection” that disrupts Tariq’s plans to quit the drug game and puts him, Brayden and Effie (Alix Lapri) back in business with the Tejadas as they are “challenged to move more heavier than ever before.” Clearly, she’s here to shake things up. In fact, Chikezie tells POPSUGAR that her “no frills, fuck and find out” character “plays no games” when it comes to her business, especially since she’s stepping in to replace Mecca.
“She’s a badass queen,” the actor proclaims of Noma. “Guys fear her, and they should because if they mess with her, they’re going to find out. She has zero tolerance for nonsense – she doesn’t play any games.”
Chikezie says much of what we see of Noma in “Power Book II” season three was created by showrunner Brett Mahoney when she booked the role. However, the actress brought her lead character to life by drawing inspiration from an unlikely source: Denzel Washington’s Frank Lucas in “American Gangster.” “When I read Noma, I instinctively knew what it took to portray her,” Chikezie says, referring to the Oscar-winning actress’ infamous character. “I can’t even find a woman to compare her to. She’s a bit masculine, energetically speaking, so [she’d definitely] to be Denzel in ‘American Gangster.'”
According to Chikezie, the Tejadas, Tariq and his team won’t know what hit them this season with Noma calling all the shots. “When she comes into their life, they run their little thing, but she comes in and kinda takes over and shows them what’s what,” she says. “So yeah, she shakes things up a lot. She restructures everything they have going on. I don’t want to say too much, but listen and watch, you’ll start to see how things unfold.”
New episodes of “Power Book II: Ghost” air every Friday on Starz. See photos of the new Chikezie character ahead.
Add comment