Naturi Naughton made quite the transition from girl group member in 3LW to Hollywood actress. She starred in movies and on Broadway in musical theater. Now she’s made her way to television on the hit Starz show Power.
She dished to Indiewire’s Shadow and Act about 3LW, her role as Tasha St. Patrick on Power and the desire to play Patti Labelle.
Naughton says her character on Power is pretty gritty. She plays the wife of Ghost St. Patrick, (Omari Hardwick) a club owner who earned his way into the nightclub scene using drug money.
“Tasha St. Patrick, she’s crazy. She really is Ghost’s sidekick, the other half of Bonnie and Clyde. She came up from the streets, grew up in Queens, and had a rough life,” she said. “She had desires to be a singer but those desires got cut short because she was pregnant at 19 with Ghost’s child.”
Tasha’s character may have held her man down during his less than legit aspirations, but now that she’s trying to go clean, she’s not quite as supportive. And her marriage is in trouble, as her husband is having an affair with his high school sweetheart.
“He’s trying to choose between going legit and staying in the drug game, and she’s pretty much the woman who’s like look, we’ve built this empire together, I’ll ride with you to the end,” she said. “She’ll throw the gun away, she’ll tell you how to dump the body. She’s an edgy character and not afraid to do whatever it takes to keep the family together.”
Naughton revealed acting is what helped her transition out of 3LW.
“When I booked Hairspray I really didn’t have a support system other than my family and friends. So after 3LW, doing Hairspray really launched me into a position in New York where I was getting recognized and then got an agent. And then I booked “Notorious” as well, while I was doing the show.”
Naughton said she feels really blessed because it wasn’t always easy transitioning into acting.
“For my first role, I had to audition five times. I’ve gotten a lot of No’s and rejections. But I just had to keep working hard. I took classes, I worked on my craft and continued to work with an acting coach and just didn’t give up on myself.”
Now she’s making her way through Hollywood. And she even has her heart set out on directing in the future and starring in a biopic about one of her favorite singers.
“I would love to play Patti LaBelle,” she said. “Her voice, her journey, her longevity in the business – I really love her and I think she’s such an amazing force of nature. A lot of people don’t talk about her journey.”
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
