Pop-Culturalist.com

Kris D. Lofton has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. He’s delivered powerful performances in projects including Empire, Get Shorty, and Ballers.

This year, he joined the Power universe in 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 had the pleasure of speaking with Kris about his starring role in Book IV: Force, joining the Power franchise, and giving Chicago a platform on a network like Starz.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling and the arts?
Kris: I always remember sports being my thing at first. I wasn’t into the arts. I wouldn’t consider myself an actual thespian. I consider myself somebody who’s always been creative. I just found another way to release that creativity through film, entertainment, and the arts.

I remember in sixth grade I did a school play. I did Fiddler on the Roof. I played Constable. I remember my English teacher saying, “Kris, you’ve got an energy about you. I don’t know what it is. When you talk, people listen. When you walk into a room, people want to know who this guy is.” He used to be an actor. He was in the original Exorcist, which is crazy. He said, “I used to be an actor. I wasn’t a star. Kris, you are. Go try out for the school play. I know all your friends won’t think it’s cool, but go try out. Go audition.”

I did. I got the role of Constable in Fiddler on the Roof. That opened my mind. I was like, “There are other ways to be creative. I don’t have to just rap. I don’t have to only play sports.” It opened my mind, especially being from the inner city in Chicago. They said you’ve got to rap or play basketball. You have to have a jump shot or be able to run the football. I never thought that I could be on TV and that I could write for TV. That was never a thought that I had, so that opened my mind.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kris: I would say the biggest influence has been a friend of mine, LaRoyce Hawkins. He’s an actor as well. He plays Kevin Atwater on Chicago P.D. He’s one of my best friends. He’s my brother. He and I lived together before I moved from Chicago to L.A. to pursue acting further. I’ve watched his journey from the very beginning. I was there when he got the call that he booked Chicago P.D. Now, they’re on Season 9!

To watch that happen made everything seem more attainable. Because we have these big dreams, but it’s so hard to think that these big dreams can actually become reality unless you feel like you can reach out and touch it. Seeing LaRoyce’s journey and all the things that he taught me through his journey made everything seem so much more attainable. He gave me great advice. I didn’t feel like a rookie coming into Power Book IV: Force. I didn’t feel like a rookie because I had been watching my best friend do it for nine years at a high level, so I didn’t have to make the same mistakes.

PC: Speaking of that journey, you’ve had so much success already in your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out to you?
Kris: The moment that stands out the most was a failure. I remember I was in Chicago. I auditioned for something that I got flown out to L.A. to test for. Testing is when you get that fourth, fifth, sixth audition. They changed the name of it and it’s now called a “test.” You network test and studio test. I thought I had it in the bag. This was my first taste of that because they flew me in from Chicago. I hadn’t been to L.A. since the Hardball premiere when I was a kid. I flew out here. I met the showrunner, the writer, all of that.

I thought I had it in the bag. I ended up not getting it. I remember being in the hotel room, and I felt like I didn’t get it. I feel like I had that actor moment when you let that scream out and you start crying because that moment happened.

I remember I had to go back to my friend’s birthday back in Chicago. I flew back and I had to go to the bowling alley for his birthday and pretend like nothing happened. To me, that moment stuck out the most. I didn’t want to make his birthday about me not getting that job.

I remember that was the moment for me. They could fly you all the way to L.A., introduce you to everybody, take you out for dinner, and tell you they love you. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get the part. I learned that the hard way. That was the biggest thing that allowed me to separate the emotion and take the feeling out of it and look at this like a business.

PC: You’re currently one of the stars of Power Book IV: Force. The Power universe has been so incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? Did you feel any pressure heading into such a beloved franchise?
Kris: I hope the audience loves it. The audience can expect the most diverse Power we’ve ever seen. I’ve been a Power fan since the beginning—OG Power vibes. This show stands alone. It’s its own entity. We owe so much to Joseph Sikora because he’s truly amazing. I feel like he’s the one who had the most pressure. Because I respect him so much, I put pressure on myself to deliver for him. Because this is his time. He’s number one. It’s all about Tommy. It’s all about Joseph. I just feel honored to be a part of that.

So I did feel that pressure because I was a fan as well. I was like, “Kris, you can’t ruin your favorite show. You’ve got to go and bring it. You’ve got to figure it out. You’ve got to tap in.” Because this is my favorite universe, so I did feel that pressure. I think it was a good pressure though. Nothing that can take me out of my game or anything like that—but a pressure that made me want to elevate my performance.

PC: There are so many complex layers to your character. How did you create the space for yourself to dive into the emotional arc that we’ll see unfold this season?
Kris: My girlfriend might not be too happy, but it was a lot of alone time. I sit in solitude a lot and I like it. Unless there’s something specific on TV that I want to watch or feel I need to watch, it’s never on. I’m a silence, possibly with music, kind of guy. I was left alone in my room, door closed. It was a lot of that for me.

For me, it was a lot of homework. Remember, I told you that I don’t consider myself a real thespian. I’m just a creative guy who got lucky. I fell in love with that, and I just so happened to be good at it. Progressively, through the past twenty years, I’ve gotten better. They say it’s the 10,000-hour rule. I put in those 10,000 hours and I progressively got better. I grew to love it more and more every day.

I use different methods to approach these roles. It was more homework than I’ve ever done before. I was making backstories. I created where I thought he went to college, what he majored in, and what the pique of the resentment was that he had for his brother. Where did that come from? I created a whole backstory about wanting to tell my family to invest all of our money in Bitcoin five years earlier. No one listened to me. He goes to prison. Bitcoin shoots up and I’m like, “We could have been out of the game. We would’ve been multimillionaires.” I added that layer to have even more resentment towards Isaac Keys’ character Diamond, who’s my brother. It plays well.

PC: You actually met Isaac years back before you joined this cast. How did the two of you approach the dynamic that we’ll see unfold between these two brothers and what can you tease about their story arc?
Kris: Isaac’s a great guy. I love Isaac. We knew each other here in L.A. We had seen each other at a bunch of events out here and through auditioning. The L.A. circle is small when you’re an actor, especially for us Black actors. We stick together. I knew Isaac and he was a great guy.

Once we found out that we had booked the show and were about to play brothers, we were immediately on the phone. He was like, “Yo, Chicago’s your city.” Because I’m from Chicago and he knows that. He’s like “Chicago’s your city. I need you to take me around. We need to ride around these neighborhoods.” When we got to Chicago, we did that. I took him to those neighborhoods. I had him meet with friends that I knew from back in Chicago who went to prison and who did ten, fifteen years to talk to him so he could cultivate that.

We spent so much time together to the point where we do have that little brother, big brother relationship. It feels real in real life too. Anybody who sees us in real life when we’re around each other, that’s exactly what it feels like off camera. We have that same bumping of heads. I’ll turn on my favorite song and he’s like, “Bro, what are you doing?” He’ll turn on his. I’m like, “What? This is what you picked?” We have that in real life. Isaac and I are like brothers in real life. People say we look alike also.

PC: There are so many impactful and intense moments throughout this series. Is there a particular scene or episode that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Kris: I’ve got a few. We can tease that there will be some tension between my brother and I. You’ll see that tension. It’s going to be dope. I’m most excited for 5, our mid-season finale. That and Episode 10. I’m excited for Episodes 3, 5, and 10. There are going to be a lot of moments in those episodes.

PC: There are so many timely and relevant themes that this series tackles. Is there a particular theme that hit home for you this season?
Kris: I love the way that the stars, the writers, and the cinematography have come together to give Chicago this platform. That’s what I’m most in love with. I remember talking with Joseph Sikora before we started filming and he told me, “Hey, Kris. As long as we make Chicago the main character, we’ll be fine.” He says, “Chicago comes before you. Chicago comes before me. We make Chicago the main character, we’ll be fine.” I truly believe that and I feel that visually we did that.

Because we see a lot of shows that shoot in Chicago. That’s nothing new. A lot of shows do it. A lot of movies do it. But I don’t think there’s ever been a show of this magnitude. It’s powerful, no pun intended. Not only do they film here, but they choose to show you areas of Chicago that we don’t normally see. Generally, it’s the same stock footage and same stock video. They’re really taking you to those places in Chicago that are never on the forefront. For somebody who’s actually from Chicago, I appreciate it.

Also, the writers and the creators behind the show have allowed so many real Chicago natives on the show to give that authenticity. It adds more and more to it. It allows us to improv lines that show the real Chicago. It’s like, “No, look, there’s real Chicago in here.” There are some things that a lot of people may overlook, but those people who are really from Chicago, they’re going to hear Jenard say certain things. They’re going to say, “You know what 50 Cent? Thank you for having a real Chicago person.” I love the fact that they allowed us that.

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