Fans of the Starz original series Power are used to tragedy; the whole franchise is built on pain and angst. But Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4, Episode 3, “Bygones” was particularly emotional when Kanan’s grandmother Joyce finally revealed to the rest of the family that she was diagnosed with cancer. Joyce has been a staple of the show since Season 1, so it’s hard to think that Season 4 might be her last.
In an interview with CBR, Joker: Folie a Deux actor Sharon Washington shared what she still loves about playing Joyce Thomas. She revealed her reaction to the cancer storyline — and what it was like to actually play that massive moment. Plus, she discusses how the cancer battle may or may not change Joyce in the remainder of the season.
CBR: You’ve portrayed Joyce since the first season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Now in Season 4, what do you still love about her character?
Sharon Washington: I love Joyce’s strength, her honesty, her ability to cut through the BS and get right to the point. I love that about her, and I love that she’s fearless when it comes to saying what’s on her mind — and you take it the way you take it. That’s how [she sees] it. And you can have your opinion about it, but that’s [her] opinion.
What was your first response when you learned Joyce would be facing cancer? On one hand, that gives you a very rich storyline to play, but on the other, it’s still terrible for her and for everyone that loves her.
As an actor, we love a drama curve. It’s also the ability to play things that are common for our fans. I think people understand that family drama encompasses a lot. Families are going through a lot right now, and I think there’s probably a lot of families who are dealing with an ill relative or someone going through some sort of crisis. So it gives the story more resonance, because people can connect with it, and also dealing with the intergenerational, interpersonal relationships and how this event affects that.
She chooses not to tell the whole family until Season 4, Episode 3. What was that specific scene like for you to play?
It was emotionally challenging. It was a really good scene to play, because I think each character has their moment in dealing with this information, with this news. And I’d never had a scene with my entire family. Joyce has never been in a scene with the entire family together in one place. So for me, it was kind of a wonderful way to be with my family around the table. Even though I’m sharing terrible news, we are a family.
And I think that’s part of what Joyce is trying to do, is to get her family together in this moment — even though she’s been forced into it a little bit by Kanan, who says you have to be the one to tell people. I can’t carry this burden by myself. So [Hazbin Hotel star] Patina [Miller, who plays Joyce’s daughter Raquel] and I talked about it, but not a lot. We played it moment to moment. We have wonderful directors and writers, and so the scene was a really good scene, and we just then had to give ourselves over to playing that moment to moment.
How much did this plot point affect what happens for Joyce in the remainder of the season? It’s a critical storyline for her, but she also shouldn’t be reduced down to just this illness.
Joyce does not want to be defined by this illness. And I don’t think she’s the person who will allow herself to be defined by the illness. She doesn’t want that to be what she’s remembered for.
So the interesting thing about making [it] through the next episodes is, what does she do with that? How does she define that? How do those relationships with her children change because of this? Do they change? Does anyone step up? Is there a difference, or does she say this and everything stays status quo? I think that’s that’s the discovery along the way.
Is this the biggest challenge you’ve had in your time on Power Book III: Raising Kanan?
The challenge for me has been portraying Joyce as someone with a secret. She and Raq butt heads, and she has this kind of relationship with Marvin, and this kind of relationship with Lou, and she loves her grandson, but it’s like, what’s going on underneath all that? You can hear what other characters have said about her over the seasons, and there’s something going on.
So that’s been my challenge — opportunity, really — is to play Joyce so that the audience knows there’s something else going on. What has made her like she is, and when will we find out more about that? You can hear it in, as I said, the way other characters talk about her, but she hasn’t had a chance yet to talk about it, so I’m looking forward to that.
