‘Power’: Naturi Naughton Almost Lost the Role of Tasha St. Patrick
Naturi Naughton has starred as Tasha St. Patrick in the Power Universe since the original show debuted back in 2014. Tasha was a ride-or-die and a devoted wife to her then-husband James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick).
However, when Ghost connected with his high school sweetheart, Angela (Lela Loren), Tasha was cast aside. As the couple’s relationship strained and Ghost’s business dealings got increasingly dangerous, the couple lost their daughter Raina (Donshea Hopkins), and their son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) changed forever. Naughton also starred in Power Book II: Ghost, but the actor almost never was Tasha at all.
Will Naturi Naughton get her own ‘Power’ spinoff?
For some time, there have been rumors about a Tasha-centered spinoff. However, Courtney Kemp, who created the Power Universe, put an end to that speculation. “I’m not saying anything like that,” she replied to Deadline when asked about the Tasha-centered spinoff. “What I would say is Tasha is firmly part of the Power Book II world, but this chapter of Tariq’s journey involves him being on the go.” However, she also hinted that we would see more of the character. “I would say that we can’t say definitively because of what they always, any character that doesn’t die on the show can come back,” she said.
Naturi Naughton almost lost the role of Tasha
Interestingly enough, Naughton almost didn’t snag the role of Tasha when Power first debuted in 2014.
“So, actually, I didn’t get Power at first,” she told Michael Rainey Jr., and Gianni Paolo on The Crew Has It. “They wanted a more mature woman because my son would grow, and I was too young to have a 12-13-year-old son. Initially, it was now, Naturi, could you have a 15-year-old? No! I was 29 at that time, so I was like, I’m still going to try to look older.”
By aging herself up a bit, Naughton won the role, and the rest is history. “So, they were like, you’re too young. So, I was like, and you want body, you want maturity, I’m going to give all of this. I beat my face, and I brought these little girlies out…”
Will Naturi Naughton return to ‘Power Book II: Ghost’?
Fans were thrilled at the end of Ghost Season 2 when Tasha reappeared. Despite his mistakes, Tariq managed to reconnect his sister Yasmine with his mom. Now, he’s found himself all alone once more. As we know, his mother is the only person that Tariq really trusts outside of Brayden (Gianni Paolo) and Effie (Alix Lapri).
However, his friends are hiding a dark secret from him that could change their dynamic. Tariq may need to turn to his mother for guidance once again. “I never really officially left Power,” Naughton told Black Film and TV. “Tasha is still alive, so we’ll leave that there. Courtney Kemp would always say if someone’s still living, there’s always chances [of a return],” she continued, letting her voice trail off.
We’d say it’s looking like Tasha will pop up in season 3.
