Pardison Fontaine Says 50 Cent’s Trolling Of His Shows’ Actors Didn’t Stop Him From Joining ‘Power’

Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine has stepped into new territory, temporarily trading in his pen for a script. Best known for his contributions to some of the biggest hits in Hip-Hop, Pardi has now made his official acting debut with the recurring role of “B-Rilla” in season four of Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

In an exclusive interview with VIBE, the Under8ed rhymer spoke candidly about his transition to acting, his experience on set, and even concerns about 50 Cent’s notorious trolling

 of his shows’ actors. When asked whether the TV mogul’s online antics toward some of his cast members made him pause before joining, Pardi made it clear that nothing was stopping him from stepping into this new lane.

“Oh, no. No. I love it,” he expressed. “Acting is something I’ve always wanted to do, I always wanted to get into. I was just grateful to be given the opportunity, honestly.” He further shared, “As soon as the script came across my desk, I liked it so much. I liked the idea so much that I read for it twice, honestly. There were two different roles I went for. So I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

This, however, isn’t the first time Pardi has crossed paths with 50 Cent’s Power franchise. He previously auditioned for a role but didn’t land it — something 50 candidly admitted in 2021. Speaking of that, Pardi recalled with a laugh, “Yeah, there was a time 50 outed me too in an interview. Talking about, ‘Yeah, Pardi came and read. He didn’t make it though.’”

The interview in question spoke of the Starz catalog bringing music artists like Mary J. Blige, Method Man, and Light Skin Keisha onboard for franchise. At the time, 50 revealed a few surprising rappers who auditioned for roles in Power and Black Mafia Family — table reads and all — but didn’t quite make the cut. “Pardison Fontaine … he’s with Megan [Thee Stallion] right now and he’s a dope writer … one of the talented writers out there,” he revealed of past Power auditionees.

Although he finally made it to the Power Universe, Pardi, neé Jorden Thorpe, admitted that transitioning from music to acting presented some challenges for him, such as not “having immediate feedback” about his on-screen performance. “The most challenging thing is — in music, you get to record it [and] you hear it right away. You’re able to critique and change things as you see fit,” he said. “With acting, they do the take [and] you really don’t get a chance to look at it. You get a chance to do it over and over, but you can’t see it.”

That wait-and-see process, while nerve-wracking, is something Pardi just had to learn to trust. “It makes you a little nervous, but they do such a terrific job that it’s like it all works out for the best,” he asserted.

The 35-year-old New Yorker also shared how much fun it was to play B-Rilla, a locally famous rapper who served time, but remains optimistic about reclaiming his fame upon release. Pardi said, he “enjoyed cursing out people [and] saying stuff that [he] wouldn’t typically say.” Even when it came to spitting bars, he had fun delivering more old-school rap bars — lyrically different from his real flow as a rapper. “I was just happy I had a chance for people to see me in a different light.”

And for fans wondering if he wrote B-Rilla’s lyrics, Pardi gave credit where it was due. “It was like a real collaborative effort with DNA,” he revealed of the famed battle rapper. “He took the lead on a lot of the songs and then I was just able to come in and put little changes here or there. But I think DNA did a lot of the heavy lifting on that.”

The character of B-Rilla wasn’t Pardi’s idea, but he was easily able to embody the role. “B-Rilla was already him before I got here,” he explained. “I was just able to lace up the boots and embody the character. But the name was already decided.”