London Brown Joins The Power Universe in "Power Book III: Raising Kanan"

The Power television universe began by introducing the world to the family of drug dealer turned nightclub owner James St. Patrick. Then we were introduced to the Tejadas in the spin-off series Power Book II: Ghost. Now, the series has decided to explore Kanan Stark's backstory and family origins in the newest Power chapter, Power Book III: Raising Kanan. London Brown takes on the role of Marvin Thomas, uncle to Kanan Stark.

Brown who notably played Reggie on HBO's Ballers took a dramatic leap stepping to the role of Marvin the eldest Thomas sibling. The Thomas family is in the business of cocaine dealing, and ultimately uncle Marvin becomes a mentor to his young nephew Kanan as he navigates surviving the gritty streets and the drug business as a member of the family. "At this particular stage in my career, what I'm trying to do definitely is diversify my range in my resume," Brown told The Quintessential Gentleman about stepping out of the box to take on the role.

Kanan's father isn't seen in the Raising Kanan series thus far, and his uncles Marvin and Lou Lou serve as subsequent surrogate father figures. "In this project as the uncle, my sister in this ended up taking over our family operation because I was irresponsible when I had the opportunity to run it myself. Marvin is only able to exert his leadership with his nephew because he doesn't have it with the family unit," London shares. "So when it comes to giving my nephew orders, I'm definitely on him about making sure things are done right, things are done in order, even though what I'm leading him to do isn't necessarily the best thing to do. Marvin does try to execute his dominance with his nephew," London added.

London further discussed the bond and dynamics within the Thomas family saying, "We are just basically a tight family unit and within that family unit I'm like the muscle of the group. I hold out the orders and sometimes that means having to get physical with people to get the job done. But I'm zero tolerance for anything disrespectful to my character or to the family. So whatever we gotta do to make sure the problem is done with that's where my character Marvin comes into play."

Like any family both onscreen and off, the Thomas family doesn't always agree on how things should be done and run leading to a fallout within the family unit, but they stay loyal to each other despite the disagreements. "But at the end of the day, we're just trying to protect each other and survive by any means necessary," Brown exclaimed. "I think that's one of those things that people are gonna find really enjoyable about this one is that it's not just a show about violence, drugs and women and so forth. It's really about love, loyalty, and family and I think people are gonna be able to see that as they watch the series as a whole. I know family has been important throughout the other Power series, and I think we continue that particular aspect of it that people can follow along," London added. London also connected with the protectiveness displayed between Marvin and Kanan drawing from his own connection with his real-life uncles.

While a lot has changed since 1991 when Power Book III: Raising Kanan takes place, the series forces viewers to explore if the principles in raising a Black male entrenched in street life have changed over the last thirty years. Whether it's 1991 or 2021, we still have uncles stepping into the roles of a father when fathers aren't present within their son's lives. To follow Kanan and Marvin's journey as nephew and uncle tune into Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Sundays on Starz.