The queen of Chicago is back—but for how long? Power Book IV: Force has put Claudia Flynn on the warpath again, yet as actor Lilli Simmons explained, it’s not that simple. Her character has regained her freedom by playing every single angle imaginable, and she still has Tommy Egan to deal with.

TVBrittanyF.com spoke to Lilli about Claudia’s thought process during Power Book IV: Force Season 3, especially when it comes to matching wits with U.S. Attorney Stacy Marks and of course, her arch-nemesis Tommy. Lilli also reflected on her most enjoyable parts of working on the show across all three seasons. Plus, find out which scene she’s looking forward to fans watching before the end.

Brittany Frederick: Playing Claudia Flynn is the longest you’ve lived with one character since Cinemax’s Banshee. What has it been like to just to see Claudia through so much over three seasons?

Lilli Simmons: I love it. Doing a movie is fun too, but you really start to find new little things about them every episode over the years. Their thoughts are mixed with your thoughts, and her backstory keeps growing. I love getting to have a long stint on something. It’s really, really great.

It’s an understatement to say Claudia and Tommy Egan have never been friends, but Power Book IV: Force really takes the hatred up a notch in Season 3. What was it like for you to put even more into that rivalry, working with Joseph Sikora?

I love Joseph so much. He’s the best. [Claudia]’s trying to survive, and she just has that revenge—she’s like, enough. Get out of my city. You’re done. Her main goal is to get out of prison and go get [Tommy], because with him in the city, it’s not her Chicago.

But as viewers saw in Episode 4, she has a quasi-ally in that in Stacy Marks. They share a common hatred of Tommy but are so different. How would you characterize their dynamic?

Obviously Claudia doesn’t want to be a rat, especially with Ortega—again, trying to survive. But I think they’re both kind of manipulating each other. And the main thought is, as you said, we have the same goal. Let’s work together. I don’t want to do this. You don’t want to do that. We can work it out. But it was so much fun having that with her.

You are no stranger to playing incredibly tough women in male-dominated environments, whether it’s Banshee or True Detective. How much of your previous experience has informed the way you’ve portrayed Claudia?

They all definitely [have] the same tone. Claudia is so different because she comes from a really wealthy family, and I loved having the dynamic of the father and the brother, family situation. I think that was so different and fun for me.

Shane [Harper, who plays Vic] absolutely feels like a real brother to me. And [Tommy] Flanagan [who played Walter] is also a total father figure. That was probably one of my most favorite parts of playing Claudia.

Speaking of favorite parts, do you have a scene you loved in Power Book IV: Force Season 3?

There’s a scene between Vic and I, and we haven’t seen each other in a while… I don’t want to give anything away, but I think it’s a really push and pull, interesting emotional moment.

Power Book IV: Force airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Starz.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.