Naturi Naughton Says Tasha Will Discover Her Own 'Power' In The Hit Show's New Season
Spoiler Alert: 50 Cent and his team of writers had the internet in shambles after killing off the daughter of the infamous lead character Ghost on the last season of Power. A teaser was released in January that revealed that we would witness Raina's funeral on the upcoming season, which will likely serve to be as emotional for the audience as it was for the show's cast members.
Naturi Naughton, who plays Tasha, the estranged wife of Ghost, told Bossip that her recent pregnancy and newfound motherhood played a huge role in channeling her emotions toward the death of her fictional daughter on screen. She said:
"Not only just for me being a new mother, but I was thinking about – while shooting the scene with Raina's death – I was actually pregnant at that time, five months pregnant. It was deep for me because I was pulling from the fact that I was growing life inside of me, while on a television show, although make believe, having to deal with the emotions of losing a daughter, so that was hard."
Naturi's costar, La La Anthony, who is also a mother, told PageSix that the fictional 11-year-old character's death also took a toll on her emotionally.
"You are in there, and your emotions are running high — as a mom, you are feeling a way. I am looking at the eulogy of a young child, and that is not something you see often for children, thank God. Even on set, the vibe was just different."
Naturi told Bossip that the experience was that much more devastating knowing that what was just a "scene" to them is a reality for many families in America today.
"Some people in the real world are dealing with death, gun violence, children dying and funerals. Innocent young people are dying every day. This show touches on things that are happening in the world."
The 34-year-old actress stressed the importance of being a part of projects that present a real depiction of what life is like for a large percentage of our community, and hopes that by spreading awareness via mainstream media, we can begin to change this reality for everyone.
"It's frustrating and it made me get in tune with what's happening across the country. Innocent children are dying every day. So that is another aspect that I'm glad we incorporated into our show and talk about, because it's really affecting our community, and I think it's something we definitely have to address, even through art. It was hard for me, but I pulled from those, watching others lose their children throughout the whole year, but also being a new mother, and imagining what kind of pain that could be like – it was something unfathomable."
This year, Naturi is taking a stand for her beliefs both on and off screen. She shared in the interview that we would see a brand new Tasha this season, and she ain't nothing to play with. After the death of their fictional daughter, Tasha will struggle to forge her own path and discover her own power while Ghost seemingly flies off the rails.
"This is the first time that she is independent of Ghost. He's dealing with having to keep the family together, having to figure out how to mourn her daughter's death. She can't even rely on Ghost to mourn. If you watch the first couple of episodes he's kind of shutting down and mourning differently, I am in the pain of that and I can't even lean on him…It's also hard because her son Tariq is rebelling against the entire family. And he's just acting a hot mess – I can't control him! But it's frustrating. I think Tasha's the one who…never gets enough credit."
I, for one, am excited to see Tasha take control of the driver's seat, because like they say, nothing kicks off a drug war like a woman with a grudge. Tune into this season of Power to see how it all unfolds July 1st on Starz.
Featured image via Power/Starz
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images