Naturi Naughton Talks ‘Power’ & Black Women in Hollywood: It’s about time!

She maybe best known for her role as Lil Kim in the 2009 “Notorious” movie and for her position in pop culture as one-third of the former girl group 3LW. But actress and singer Naturi Naughton stamped Hollywood last year with the glamorous and gritty leading role she played as Tasha St. Patrick on the hit series, “Power.”

The TV show aired last June on Starz and detailed the life of a drug kingpin, played by actor Omari Hardwick, who struggles to manage corruption in his dealing territory and the return of an old flame.

Naughton co-stared alongside Hardwick as his onscreen wife, and her ride-or-die love resonated with audiences far and wide. With the series gaining a season two, the 30-year-old has joined a group of African-American woman playing prominent roles on primetime television, and she doesn’t take the responsibility lightly. Peep a few excerpts from her Vibe interview.

On how she feels about sharing the limelight with other black actresses:

Naughton: I feel truly blessed to be one of the many Black women who are leading ladies on television. I think there is an influx of Black people on TV and Film in general and thankfully, more of our stories are being told. But I am specifically proud to see more Black women gracing the screen. It’s encouraging to see our complexities and depth through these characters as opposed to painting the stereotypical picture that we are all one dimensional or spoof-like. So I say, ‘It’s about time! Black women ROCK and regardless of if Hollywood continues to validate that or not, we will still be colorful, unique and beautifully complicated!’

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