Tommy Egan wasn’t just going to go quietly into the night when he left New York. The fan-favorite character, played masterfully by Joseph Sikora, returns in his own spinoff series, Power Book IV: Force. Tommy is on a brand-new path that leads him to Chicago, and he’ll be facing many new enemies. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Joseph about whether or not Tommy is going to have to change his ways with these new people, or if they’ll have to adapt to his rules.
“I think much in the way that of 100 years prior when a certain Al Capone made his way from Red Hook, Brooklyn, into the streets near the Southside of Chicago, Tommy is going to do a little bit of both,” Joseph said. “He’s going to do it vicious and strong, just like we’ve always known Tommy to be. However, it’s the first time we’ve ever seen Tommy truly alone with nothing. So how does he build that organization? All Tommy has is probably a duffle bag full of cash, a couple of guns, a couple changes of clothes, and his soul. Is that going to be enough to win? To conquer? Not only to survive but to thrive.”
Tommy comes to Chicago with a lot of baggage. He lost his best friend, Ghost, who was shot and killed by Tariq. His girlfriend, LaKeisha, was killed by Tasha.
“I think there is trauma,” Joseph told HollywoodLife about Tommy’s life post-Ghost. “I think there’s huge amounts of trauma that he’s carrying with him. Not only losing and witnessing his brother die in his arms but knowing who the killer was and being told not to kill him. And then having to return in Power Book II: Ghost where we see him actually still have love for Tariq in some capacity, where it’s not just so much a cutting of the cord between he and Tariq, it’s seeing that Tariq has chosen this family and this path with Monet Tejada, and Tommy truly feeling like you’re never going to see me again because I’m leaving you in these hands. You’ve chosen these hands, and these are capable hands. Now he doesn’t have that family. He doesn’t have that safety net. He doesn’t have that connection. The biggest connection for Tommy was he was a product of the streets of New York, so how is he going to survive in a different city that he’s already established when we were introduced to him in Chicago with Jason Micic, played by Mike Dopud. He doesn’t like being in Chicago. He wants to get back to New York.”
As for falling in love again, Joseph said that is a little “extreme” for Tommy at the moment. “I think that one of the things we like about Tommy is his animalistic nature,” the actor noted. “The man has needs, and those needs may have to get filled here and there. But also, who does he carry into that bedroom with him? I think those are the thoughts of LaKeisha. Those are the thoughts of Holly, brilliantly portrayed by Lucy Walters, and their unborn child. He’s carrying all of this baggage. So for me, as the actor, I had such a fun time thinking about the complexity of those scenes. Not trying to overplay the complexity but realizing it’s just there. The gravity is just there in these new situations.”
Tommy ran the streets of New York, but Chicago is a whole different ball game. Tommy will come face-to-face with Walter Flynn, the head of one of the most powerful families in Chicago. “His interpretation is truly riveting,” Joseph told HollywoodLife of Tommy Flanagan’s portrayal. “It was such a pleasure to act opposite with him, so I think audiences are going to really love him. This is no Chibs. This is a new adventure.”
Power Book IV: Force premieres February 6 across all STARZ platforms. New episodes premiere every Sunday.