With the third and final season of the massively popular Power Book IV: Force, a spinoff of the Power franchise, premiering this fall, two actors stand out for their complex portrayals of brotherhood, power, and the cost of ambition.
Kris D. Lofton and Isaac Keys, who play brothers Jenard and Diamond Sampson in the hit series, have led one of the show’s most compelling storylines.
Their blend of family loyalty and betrayal within Chicago’s volatile underworld has kept viewers returning week after week to watch the drama unfold.
Now, as the ending draws near, both Lofton and Keys have had time to reflect on their journey through the Power universe.
“I am angry,” Keys jokes about the end of Force. “It is a bittersweet thing. We’ve been able to create something and to be attached to the Power universe…anytime you are doing something well that you are passionate about, of course, there is a sentiment of feeling a little sad and kind of upset by it ending.”
Although the ending is arriving sooner than both Keys and fans had hoped, the former NFL player has always understood that Hollywood is a business.
“From day one, we knew we had to put our best foot forward each day on set,” Keys explains. “Nothing is promised when it comes to seasons on TV… I think we are leaving knowing we left our footprint in the Power universe.”
For Lofton, who plays Jenard Sampson, the ending is bittersweet, and being part of the 50 Cent–produced series is still an experience he hasn’t fully processed.
“I was such a fan,” Lofton says with excitement. “I am still such a fan in every sense of the word,” he says about the Power series and the show’s multiple spinoffs. “This still hasn’t hit. A lot of it is bittersweet, but in a surreal, weird way.”
Fans have expressed their confusion about the show’s ending. Part of that speaks to how well-crafted the series is; three seasons simply doesn’t feel like enough.
The other part is the reality that Hollywood has a long track record of canceling shows led by diverse casts and crews, a pattern that feels even more evident in today’s political climate.
Still, both Lofton and Keys promise that fans will not be disappointed when the new season premieres on November 7.
“Shout out to Gary Lennon,” Lofton says. The Chicago native, whose credits include Ballers, Snowfall, and Empire, attributes the series’ gripping storytelling to showrunner Lennon. “I remembered that name. I had never met him, but when they said Gary Lennon was coming [on board Season 2], I was excited. I’ve seen that name so many times in the credits on the original Power. Some of my favorite episodes were written by Gary Lennon… directed by Gary Lennon.”
Lofton and Keys’ onscreen chemistry is just as apparent offscreen. The brotherhood they’ve built goes beyond playing dueling brothers fighting for power on the gritty streets of Chicago. For them, it all started on the page.
“It is an actor’s dream to get a script and think ‘That’s me,” Keys says. The former Minnesota Viking linebacker and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, quickly tapped into his role as Diamond, even before the role was his. Keys received the test-read call while out at a party in Phoenix. In that moment, he had a choice to make to secure the role of a lifetime.
“I asked myself, ‘What would Diamond do?’
It was important for Lofton and Keys to connect even when they weren’t filming. Call it method acting, but the two recognize the genuine bond they worked to build.
“When my father passed, we had to do that scene together. I didn’t want to tell you before the scene because I didn’t want it to affect your performance. I didn’t want anybody on set to know. We did the scene, and then I told you back at the trailers. And the love you showed me in that moment… that was probably the most brotherly moment,” Keys recalls.
“I remember that. I was mad at you for not telling me. But I understood,” Lofton shares. “I was with Isaac every day pretty much. If he wasn’t filming and I wasn’t filming, we were somewhere in Chicago together. We built that brotherhood while we were filming. There were a lot of off days. I’m calling him every morning like his little brother.”
The rapport Lofton and Keys share makes watching their rivalry play out on screen even more compelling. What makes the Jenard–Diamond storyline fascinating isn’t just the crime or the back-and-forth power struggle that unfolds episode after episode.
It’s the emotional weight, the resentment, the grief, and the unspoken dreams both brothers had for themselves and for each other.
The pressure of legacy and the question of trust pull viewers in and never let go. When Diamond returns from prison, he finds a world his brother has built by taking a different path. Jenard has changed in his absence, adapting to new rules and new forms of control.
Lofton’s performance as Jenard and Keys’ portrayal of Diamond capture a rare duality, intelligence and ruthlessness, love and betrayal, ambition and sacrifice. It’s a brotherhood weighed down by time lost.
“What I learned from Jenard is that you can’t do everything by yourself. As Black men, we don’t ask for help. I realized a lot of Jenard’s problems could have been avoided if he had just asked,” Lofton shares.
“With Diamond, I learned you can’t have one foot in and one foot out. People will try to keep you who you were because it benefits them. You have to commit to who you want to become, and everybody can’t go with you,” Keys shares.
For emerging actors, the bond Lofton and Keys share is important to witness. It shows what building your village looks like in real time, especially in an intense industry. The craft is what they uphold, but it’s the relationships they build in Hollywood that sustain them.
“I am optimistic because I am an optimistic person,” Keys says about building a career in Hollywood. “As actors who are Black, we have to know that we can portray anything. I can tell somebody else’s story because I am an actor, and I know how to find the truth in that character.”
The two actors are keeping their collaborative brotherhood alive onscreen as they prepare for life after Power Book IV: Force. Fans will be able to watch Lofton and Keys in the upcoming thriller, Madonna Non Grata.
Season 3 of Power Book IV: Force premieres on November 7 on Starz.
Editor-in-Chief/Art Director: Eric Keith
Photographer: Antar H
Stylist: Ron Jeffries
Stylist Assistant: Joi Holmes
Groomer: Keyocsha Brown
Videographer: Leef Parks
Graphic Designer: Pamela May
