When all is said and done, and you think about Power Book IV: Force, you’re going to think about Diamond Sampson.
Diamond’s journey, from leaving prison to reclaiming CBI and then teaming up with Tommy, played out dramatically across the show’s three seasons, making Diamond one of the most popular Power Universe characters.
And star Isaac Keys played him beautifully, tapping into the raw emotions of a man often trying to keep the peace, but similarly slipping into old habits.
Power Book IV: Force Season 3 Episode 9 saw Diamond and little brother Jenard firmly planted on the side opposite Tommy, and with all roads leading to warfare, Diamond became collateral damage in his brother’s fight.
Diamond may not have made it to the series finale, but his impact on the series was undeniable.
We hopped on a Zoom with the candid Keys to discuss Diamond’s final arc, his relationship with Tommy, and what he hopes Diamond’s lasting memory in the Power Universe will be.
So, let’s start right at the end when Diamond sacrifices himself for Jenard. During the episode, Diamond and Jenard have a couple of conversations, during which Diamond apologizes to him and also cements their partnership, which they haven’t had in a while.
How important do you think it was for Diamond to have those talks with Jenard at that point?
It was important, especially for the fans, to see another conversation. I think the conversation starts in episode five of season two, when you see Diamond speaking to his father, and there is some backstory of why Diamond is where he is, and also his father telling him, “You need to protect your brother.”
So throughout all this time, and Diamond getting that kind of inkling from Shanti that his brother has been doing some stuff behind his back, I think it’s a time where Diamond’s trying to confess to him what he’s done, what he’s felt, and the revelation that he’s having about why he moved and those types of things.
And he’s trying to do it to free himself, but also to get Jenard to finally confess what he’s been doing, what’s been happening, and what’s going on. And Jenard doesn’t have the capacity to relinquish it, and he deflects, and he goes back. And that also shows the dynamic of their brotherhood, too.
Yes, Diamond was trying to bring him in and have that heart-to-heart conversation, but when it was all said and done, he realized he really couldn’t trust his brother in that regard. He finally comes to grips with it, but at the same time, he’s still loyal to protecting his brother. He’s not going to just let anybody else whoop him or take on his brother. He can, but no one else can.
And that’s an old philosophy of how brothers are. They can fight, but don’t try to fight one of them because they both will jump on you. And so, I think it flies into that aspect. And it was a very powerful scene, well-written, and I was so happy and honored to be able to actually go out there and bring it to life with Chris, with whom we had some amazing scenes throughout this.
And I love that we were able to have those scenes as well because we do have a brotherhood, so it really feels real to us.
Do you think that Diamond needed forgiveness from Jenard, or do you think it was more about Diamond being able to get that off his back and forgive himself?
I don’t think he needed forgiveness. He felt that his brother needed to hear it. But I also think Diamond was realizing it when he had to sit back and reflect on the choices he’d made and what he’d been through.
Fans have been able to see him be vulnerable, letting people know, “Okay, well, this is going on,” because it’s real-life situations. Your environment will change you. Situations will change you.
What you thought you wanted to do before may not always be what ends up happening because of something traumatic, like Leon dying, or trying to put this community together, or wanting this coalition to work, but then it’s not going to work.
But then you’re trying to protect your brother who keeps adding on, piling up things, piling up things, you still try to protect him. It’s a great depiction of how things in life can affect how you act, react, and survive in those moments.
Did you always know this was going to be Diamond’s fate, or is it something you found out at the end of the season?
No, it was definitely something I found out at the end of the season. If we had continued, and this wasn’t our last season, I think Diamond would have continued on, as well, because I feel like there’s so much more story to tell, so much more story to tell for the whole show. And I think it would have gone on.
I got the call from Gary Lennon and Kendra Chapman before the script came out. And getting the call, I didn’t realize it would affect me so much. I always knew it could happen, but I didn’t realize it would affect me personally so much that I really felt like somebody had died. You know what I’m saying?
You never want it to be you because you feel like you want to keep going and keep a job as well. But with it being the last season, I was like, “Well, they said they need a big pop. So if it’s Diamond, I’m flattered. I’m flattered. I’ll be the big pop.” So, Diamond would be the big pop.
We do attach ourselves to these characters as actors, and that’s the only way we can bring them to life, especially when you do seasons. It’s not like a movie where it’s a one-off. We’ve invested in this character for three seasons, which is a lot. And I’ve been on this set with an amazing cast and crew, and as you start to see that come to the end, it’s sad.
But you separate the personal from the actor and the character and realize, “Okay, well, how can I bring this story to life? How can I bring value to this show, this season?” And if that’s part of it, then let’s make it glorious. Let’s make it a glorious death. Let’s make it a beautiful scene leading up to it. And whatever’s going on, let’s continue to tell the story.
And the writers gave me the opportunity to do so. The director, Eif Rivera, gave me the opportunity to do so. I was like, “Hey, we’re going to make this right.” And that also makes me feel good because that’s the impact of the character of Diamond, that he is loved, and that people want to see them do the best they can for that character.
I was always a big fan of the Tommy-Diamond partnership. They could have taken over Chicago, but they always struggled to be fully honest with each other. How do you think Diamond truly viewed that partnership and really viewed Tommy?
There’s a respect there. I think there’s respect. From day one, Diamond was curious about who this guy was. Who is Tommy? And what is he doing here? Why is he so ambitious? He said a line to him earlier in episode two. He said, “You clocked in my city.”
And he could tell, “Oh, you’re trying to get down in the city, but I need to be a part of that. This is my city. I need to protect the city. I also need to protect the people around it, and I need to know more about who you are. ” And I think that’s where it goes.
It’s like the beginning of a relationship. At the beginning of the relationship, you’re still figuring things out, but hey, this feels good. Let’s see what’s going on. Let’s go from here. Let’s go on another date. Let’s do this. Oh, we did these together. Oh, okay, that’s kind of cool. We had a good time together, robbing and killing and doing all these things.
Diamond’s still trying to evaluate who he wants to be. So he’s doing his internal things. And I think there’s a mutual respect for one another. And I think we show that in episode nine, where they meet and have a conversation, “Okay, well, can there be peace?” And basically, Tommy is like, “Your brother’s going too far. It can’t be peace.”
And it’s like, “Well, we’ve got to do what we have to do. It’s a shame that it has come to this situation, but I’m not backing down. I’m not giving you my brother, and you feel like you have to do what you have to do.
So it’s respect. And I think it also shows when Diamond does take the bullet, Tommy never meant for that to happen. Tommy would shoot everywhere else. There’s this unbeknownst rule that’s like, “I respect him. I’m not necessarily going to shoot him. I’m going to shoot everybody else.
Everybody’s around, and I’m going to aim at him, but you can’t take my brother out.” So there’s a respect factor that they have for one another, as well as loyalty. Tommy respects Diamond’s loyalty to his brother, despite all the things he is doing. I think Tommy wanted that type of loyalty from Diamond, but he also wanted that type of loyalty from Ghost.
So, he’s seeing that. I think that it’s deeper. I love the nuances and the depth of this. When you break this stuff down, there’s so much depth to the emotional intelligence in life, and how the people who lack it and don’t communicate, how things start to get worse and worse, and how they go in different directions.
What do you think was Diamond’s fatal flaw?
His weakness was his brother. His fatal flaw will always be Jenard. Diamond is very smart. He understands the game. I think that, and then the fact that he just wanted peace in a tumultuous environment where you just can’t have peace. It just doesn’t go hand in hand with drugs and power and drama. Peace doesn’t go hand in hand.
He was naive about that, but he was trying to do the best he could once he chose that life. But I think his weakness has always been his brother because his brother just couldn’t get it right or couldn’t fall into the line, into the game plan. And by him trying to protect his brother, it literally leads to his demise in a sense.
And that was always his weakness, being naïve to Jenard. It’s like that mother’s love. “Not my baby. My baby didn’t do that. Or if he did, I’ll handle it. I’ll take care of it at home. Don’t you try to handle it, I’ll take care of it.” And I think it becomes that brother love that is synonymous with that mother love. That’s his ultimate weakness there.
What do you hope the fans remember most about Diamond Sampson?
His journey. The fans have had a front-row seat to seeing how life, choices, and environment can dictate a person’s life, livelihood, and choices. And I want them to take away that the opposite of it is to not allow those things to happen.
Diamond, I’m very proud of the journey we’ve given him, of just transitioning and changing, and of how he’s wanted to be something else but couldn’t, because he wouldn’t change his environment. He wouldn’t change the people that he was around. He wouldn’t change what he was trying to accomplish.
And it ultimately brought him back into a life of experiencing more hurt and feeling some joy, and those things. But it’s life. It was a great way to show life. I’m glad, I’m happy, I’m flattered, and I’m grateful for people attaching themselves to the character so much that they love him. Going back to the first season now, they’re hurt because he’s somebody something different now.
“Hold on, that’s not what we wanted to be.” They wanted more for Diamond. They wanted them to be better, and it hurts them so bad to see him keep on accepting his brother and taking him in. And then, of course, all the Tommy fans are just upset because they don’t think Tommy can do any wrong. He can’t do any wrong.
“Why are you messing with Tommy? Why is Tommy messing with Diamond?” They don’t see it that way.
“Why do you keep going after Tommy? I want y’all to be together. But what about Diamond?” It’s just great to have these types of conversations and see people have this dialogue and the comments and just the depictions of what they feel the show is about.
You can watch Power Book IV: Force on Fridays at 9/8c in the U.S. and Canada on the STARZ linear platform, and new episodes will be available to stream weekly on Fridays on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.
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