POWER Book II star Mary J Blige has opened on why her no-nonsense character Monet Tejada is so hard on her children.
The singer, who celebrated her 50th birthday yesterday, plays the mother-of-three who was left to run her family’s drug organisation while husband Lorenzo (Berto Colon) serves a lengthy prison sentence.
Power Book II’s Mary J Blige comments on ruthless drug mogul Monet Tajada
It did not take long for fans to be introduced to the cold and near emotionless Monet, who consistently pressurises her children to play their roles in ensuring the family drug company runs smoothly and they do not get caught by the police.
Despite two of her children Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) and Drew (Lovell Adams-Gray) wanting to do more with their lives, Monet insists they are involved in the family business along with eldest child Cane (Woody McClain).
Mary explained why her character feels this way, as she shared: “She’s all about survival. So, she is not playing games, she is hard on her children, she’s hard on everyone because she’s a woman out here in the world doing a man’s job almost.”
When Monet speaks, everyone listens, and Mary also believes her alter-ego can run the organisation and keep the children in line because of her difficult upbringing.
Monet insists all her children are involved in the family drug business
She added: “I think Monet is able to run a family business like this because she’s built like this. I believe her back story is she was abandoned from her family.
“They kind of just threw her away so she had to figure out how to survive in the streets on her own and then the streets became her family.”
Monet learnt everything she knows about the drug game from Lorenzo and will do whatever it takes to protect their kids while he is behind bars.
“When a woman has to survive in a male dominated world it gets ugly and violent and crazy. Especially when she has to protect her children and Monet’s about protecting her children and her business. That’s what’s she all about.”
The first season of Power Book II came to an explosive end as Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) made a dramatic return and threatened to kill Tariq St. Patrick’s (Michael Rainey Jr) mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) for trying to pin James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick’s murder on him.
Tariq ensured her safety by putting her into a witness protection programme.
The highly anticipated face-off between Monet and Tasha took place in the season finale and Mary commented on the similarities and differences between the two alpha females.
The multiple-time Grammy award winner explained: “They’re both about survival and fighting for their lives. But the difference is some people hide who they are and what they are from their children so that their children will not make the mistakes that they did. That is what Tasha has done with her children.
“Where Monet lets them see it all because she feels like if they are exposed to it, they would know what not to do.”
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