The juicy cliffhangers on last night’s season three finale of the Starz hit series Power left fans shocked and dying for more. Star Lela Loren, who plays special agent Angela Valdes, was right there with them.
Many viewers love to hate Loren’s character, and after the stunt she pulled during the finale, that relationship won’t change any time soon.
Loren talked exclusively to ESSENCE about the fate of her on-again/off-again boyfriend onscreen beau Greg, how it felt to come to a crossroads with Ghost and the advice she would give her character if she could.
[Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched the entire season, stop reading now.]
During season three, Angela’s character was challenged quite a bit–especially when it came to matters of the heart.
She and Ghost, portrayed by our July cover star, Omari Hardwick, went through their fair share of ups and downs before they parted ways in a heartbreaking scene that resonates with us all. Loren’s character then runs back into the arms of her former lover and fellow co-worker, Greg, and the star details how his deadly fate hurt her.
“Greg was actually supposed to die in season two and there were a couple of scenarios where I killed him and then the plot changed to something more complicated,” the actress shares. “The way it played out makes more sense for Angela because it’s like, ‘what would you do if someone you were dating broke up with you and then you’re kind of dating someone else and the you actually think that your ex-boyfriend killed your current boyfriend?'”
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As for that telling scene when Angela handcuffs the love her life, who she affectionately called “Jamie,” Loren spills that shooting that moment brought she and Hardwick closer together in real life even though their characters seem farther apart than ever before.
“I think she could have waited for that night to pass, but she intentionally didn’t because she felt so lied to and so horrified because, at this point, she really believes that Ghost murdered Greg,” Loren says of the final few moments of the season 3 finale.
“But we’ve all become tied and bonded to each other,” the actress said of life between the cast after the director calls ‘cut.’ “We’re a really tight group. What’s more interesting for me is that this year, our characters are quite distant. In the beginning, you all get along but, you’re still kind of strangers. But now, all of our character have a sector of people that hate us and strangely, that bonds us all together even closer as actors. We support each other through it and because of it, the cast is all very united. It’s grown in like a really lovely, lucky way.”
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If Loren could tell her character one thing about love? Get help, NOW!
“I think I would tell her that her use of manipulation and going for the win isn’t going to fill the void that she thinks is going to fill,” says Loren. “Sometimes you have to let your life fall apart and let it come back together on its’ own and learn to care for yourself in a different way. There was an immaturity and a fantasy and now that she knows that it didn’t work out, it’s like, how are you going to learn from it while still remaining someone who believes in love and doesn’t shut yourself out from it? So, I’d tell her to probably get some therapy!”
The show is currently in production for season four and has been commissioned for a fifth season as well. Loren doesn’t know what comes next between her character and her nemesis, Tasha St. Patrick, but she knows they will always share a bond, no matter how hard they try to hide it.
“Without giving anything away, [Angela and Tasha’s] fates are forever tied together, specifically because of their history in relationships with Ghost. So, as long as he is in the picture, they’re inevitably in a relationship with each other. It’s just humanity. However that plays out, whether it’s antagonistic or collaborative, they can’t get away from each other.”