Pop-Culturalist.com

Shane Harper has quickly established himself as one of Hollywood’s most versatile and dynamic young talents. He’s brought complex characters to life with ease in projects including God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, A Teacher, and Hightown.

Currently, he stars in must-see new series Power Book IV: Force. The crime drama follows Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) after he cuts all ties with New York and puts the city in his rearview mirror for good. When he arrives in Chicago, he has his sights set on becoming the biggest drug dealer the Second City has ever seen.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Shane about Power Book IV: Force, how the series stands on its own, Vic’s arc of self-discovery, and more!

PC: The Power universe has been the flagship for Starz for many years. How does Power Book IV: Force pay homage to past spinoffs while also standing on its own?
Shane: That’s a great question. This is Tommy’s spinoff. Joseph Sikoa brought such a wonderful sense of groundedness for everyone, giving the appropriate amount of respect and homage to the original show. With him being such a fan favorite, that was built in. Being able to have the vision to creatively see something else for this show also came from him—and obviously, Courtney [A. Kemp], 50 Cent, Jeffrey Hirsch, and everyone at Starz. They had that vision as well. It touches on a lot, but it really starts with Joseph.

We’re all new characters getting originated into something that’s not a new show; it’s not a new program. He was instrumental at, like you said, allowing everyone to understand what this show was, what it is now, and what it’s trying to become.

PC: You’re no stranger to the Starz family. What’s that transition been like for you going from Hightown to now Power?
Shane: It’s been a great joy of mine being able to stay on the network. I really like Starz. I’ve always had a wonderful working relationship with them. They make wonderful, strong content that’s really competitive. They have unique content. They’re not scared to greenlight a show. Their programs are unique and powerful.

It’s funny. My character on Hightown was this begrudging drug dealer. He was an addict turned drug dealer. He was a soft guy living in a really hard world. This character is very different in the sense that he’s at a hundred. The Vic character and the Flynn family have this intense Chicago gangster energy.

The transition was really smooth, creatively, going from that show to this one. It feels homey because I know everyone at Starz. I work so well with them. I’m grateful for the work that they’ve given me these last few years and the opportunity to step into some more unique roles that don’t typically come along, especially since I’ve been in this industry since I was a teenager. As a young teen actor getting to step into these more mature roles is a privilege. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that they’ve given me.

PC: That’s the perfect segue to this next question. As you’ve grown in your career, you’ve brought these complex and mature characters to life on the screen. What are the types of roles and characters that you’re most attracted to? How’s that changed since the start of your career?
Shane: It’s a great question. I remember when I got hired to play the part of Junior in Hightown. When I read the initial breakdown in the script, it meant something to me. He was a character that had depth and an edge to him. I don’t say that flippantly; he is very deep and struggling with his addiction to heroin and all these things, but he’s also a normal person. He had a complexity to him. You felt like he could be your neighbor. He wasn’t a caricature. It’s similar to these characters on Power as well. They’re all really grounded.

For me what I’ve honed in on is wanting to play characters that have that kind of war of the worlds inside of them. There’s this struggle between what should I do, what could I do, and what am I capable of doing. It’s that juxtaposition. Junior was a really sensitive guy in a tough world. Vic has some of those characteristics, too, but I really do feel like that’s a big goal for me.

I grew up doing musical theater and stuff like that. I made my way as a young actor on a family sitcom. I like making diverse choices with characters if I can. I’m looking to do things that people may not expect, which is funny. When this show came out, a lot of the fans that have grown up with me and watched me on TV as teenagers, they were like, “Oh my gosh. That’s so funny because we know you as this tween in a sweater vest. Now, you have a neck tattoo and you’re walking around Chicago in a fur coat driving a Bentley.” [laughs] It’s very different. It’s a juxtaposition. That’s really what I think most actors are looking for.

PC: You do such a brilliant job bringing the many different shades of Vic to life. How did you create the space for yourself as an actor to dive into all those different layers and the journey that we’ll see unfold this season?
Shane: That’s really nice of you to say. Vic wants to be the toughest guy in the room, but I don’t think he necessarily is. A lot of times as an actor, you have to put aside your own ego and how you want people to perceive you in the character and ask yourself, “What is this character going through?” You don’t want to get into the mindset where you’re like, “He has to be the toughest guy in the room. I need to be the one that shines the most.” It’s about letting the character live. Vic is struggling with his own sense of self and being a boy versus a man. He’s struggling with whether his dad finds him suitable to take over his family business. It’s about trying to find all of those different shades.

There aren’t a lot of sensitive moments in the Power universe, but when they happen, they mean something. We see that a lot as well with Tommy Egan. He’s such a tough character and such a badass, but when he does show those complex emotions, it means something. It really matters and stands out.

I wanted to let myself not get in the way too much of what was there because it’s a classic story. He’s a very Sonny in The Godfather character—he’s very much that hotheaded. He wants to do all this stuff. He doesn’t know how to do it, but you want to feel for him a bit and not make it too much like a caricature.

PC: Vic has so many complicated relationships, which we’ve seen unfold in the first three episodes. Which has been your favorite to explore and why?
Shane: I don’t want to give too much away, but episodes four, five, and six are big. Vic’s journey coming out from under his dad’s oppression takes a very large turn. You can already see that’s starting to happen. I really love that.

The rest of his character arc is going to be explosive. Again, without giving too much away, the fans are going to go crazy. Episodes five, six, and seven are nuts. Eight is going to blow everyone’s mind. Then nine and ten, everyone is going to be like, “I can’t.” It’s really off to the races, but that aspect of him coming out from underneath his dad’s thumb is the biggest turning point for him, which you can already tell is happening.

PC: That’s a great teaser. In addition to being an actor, you’re also a musician. If you had to pick one of your own songs that best describes Vic’s journey in this series, which would it be and why?
Shane: That’s a really funny question. It’s a great question. It’s funny as well. I’d have to go back and dig through my catalog. It’s interesting as a musician. I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but I was signed to a record label when I was a teenager. I did the pop star thing, or I tried to. It was a big part of my journey.

Then growing out of that, I had a lot of different kinds of music. I have music that was very teeny pop music from when I was a kid. Then I’ve got some more mature stuff that I released later on, but it’d probably be something off my most recent EP, but I’d have to go through it. That’s a good question, though.

PC: You’ve also shared in past interviews that it was intimidating stepping into this universe, and a lot of it was trial by fire. What have you learned about yourself and your craft being a part of this project?
Shane: Wonderful question. It is intimidating. This show is dialed up to a hundred. There’s so much going on. Everything is very heightened. From my experience working on this show, there hasn’t been this pressure to deliver because of the fan base. It’s hard to explain. They call it the Power universe for a reason. There is a lot of pressure. I’m proud of myself for being able to not get too cooked in the pressure cooker. It was really intense getting thrown into it. People should expect a lot from you. As a cast, there was a lot of good pressure because this was Tommy Egan’s spinoff and so much came with that anticipation.

One of the things that I learned was that I can handle it. I’m proud of myself for making adjustments along the way to serve the story and to make it as great as I could make it in the moment. I’m excited. It was cool. When I saw the pilot for the first time, I was really proud of it because I remember all the ups and downs that it took to find what it ended up becoming. It’s a rewarding feeling.

PC: As you look ahead to the rest of 2022 and the next five, ten years, what’s next for you? Can we expect some more music? Is there a dream role that you would love to play in the future?
Shane: Music is certainly something that I love doing. In what capacity? I’m not sure, but I love making music. I can do it very independently now because I know how to work my Pro Tools, record myself, and record all the instruments. I can do all that now and that’s something that I’ve worked on over the last few years. It’s very much in my control. I feel like I would like to continue to do that because it’s very cathartic for me. It’s a very pure expression for me, so I would love to.

But as far as the five-year plan, I am really grateful to be doing what I’m doing right now. I always wanted to be a lead on a show like this. I wanted to give to a cast, crew, and network, and put myself into it. I would love to do some film stuff as well. I’ve been doing mostly TV for the last three years—and great television at that. I mean, Hightown, A Teacher, and Power—these are great, great shows, very cinematic shows. I love TV, but I’d love to do some film as well.

I like to mix it up. I want to be able to pop around on places too, like if I can do a three-episode arc on this or that. I’d love to show up as a goofy neighbor in some family sitcom or something like that, but I’m certainly excited about the trajectory of my career at this point and this show as well. It’s really good. I think it’ll be around for a while.

I’m not going to give anything away, but everyone gets capped at a certain point on Power because it’s a very dangerous world that we inhabit. But as long as they’ll have me, I’m really happy to be on the show. It’s a great environment and an extremely fun character to play. It’s awesome.

PC: With this being such a complex and diverse role for you, is there a scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see in the upcoming episodes?
Shane: There’s a scene in episode three that just came out: Vic has to bail out his buddies at the police station. It’s a shot that starts at the feet and it pans up. There’s great music playing. This whole sequence is a big rollercoaster. He gets his buddy Simon out, and they have a funny moment in the police station. Simon wants to talk about what happened in the middle of the police station. Vic slaps him on his ass and tells him to go outside. Then, he bribes a cop and they go have breakfast.

When I saw that sequence on the page, I was like, “That feels like a pinnacle moment of personality for Vic,” where he’s a little swaggy. He’s very approachable because he is with his buddies, but he also has this hard-nosed gangster moment when he tosses cash into a police car and was like, “Deal with my problem,” and then, “Let’s go to iHop.” I really like that sequence. There are definitely more defining moments, but I don’t want to give anything away. There are defining moments in episodes five, eight, nine, and ten. I’m very excited for the rest of the season. I really appreciate the questions. They’re all really great.

To keep up with Shane, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Power Book IV: Force every Sunday at 8:10/7:10c on Starz.

Photo Credit: enjaephotography