Mary J. Blige on portraying a grieving Monet in ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 3

Mary J. Blige is back as Monet Tejada on season 3 of Power Book II: Ghost. The season will follow her as she mourns the death of her “nephew” Zeke, a promising basketball player who was revealed to be her son and potential ticket out the drug game.

Mary says her character is deeply affected by the loss in the new season, telling ABC Audio, “She’s super depressed and she’s mourning heavily.”

“She’s pissed that her baby that she had to give up when she was a teenager and finally been reconciled with … gets murdered,” she says. “Then he was her exit strategy, so she’s not only mourning, she’s pissed that she’s still in this game, and they took her kid away from her.”

Zeke’s death has also affected Monet’s relationship with her other children, which Mary says is now strained. 

“She just doesn’t care at this point, she’s like everybody can get it. My exit strategy is gone and my baby is gone,” Mary says of her character. She notes Monet is particularly upset with her daughter Diana for blowing up the news that Zeke is her son.

With no children of her own, how did Mary prepare to portray a grieving mother?

“I had to go to a real place for me where I actually lost something in my life not too long ago, and I almost lost myself,” she says, ultimately landing on her divorce. “The divorce was horrible, it was public … I felt revengeful, and hurt and sad, so I had to take all those emotions and give them to Monet because Mary’s already forgiven, and moved on and not even thinking about those people.” 

Season 3 hits Starz on Friday, March 17. 

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