‘Power’ Star Alix Lapri Dishes On Her Hopes For Effie’s Grand Finale

The fourth and final season of Power Book II: Ghost means endgame for everyone, but what does that actually mean? Is college graduation on the horizon? Does family mean more than money? Has the definition of loyalty been rewritten? However, the biggest question is whether or not—those who want to—will make it out of the game and if they succeed, will they be alive to enjoy a worry-free life? 

With each new episode, VIBE will discuss some of these questions along with a few character-specific lingering ones with those who know the cast best—themselves. As we unpack the drama of this season’s first two episodes, we spoke with Alix Lapri, who plays Effie Morales, about her love triangle, its comparisons to Power, and what she feels is Effie’s end goal.

Enjoy our spoiler-free chat below.

VIBE: Effie is such a complex character. She’s smart and resourceful, but she has a soft spot and people either love to hate or hate to love her. Plus she’s in this complicated love triangle with Cane and Tariq, do you think that she’ll choose one or the other, or will she finally just choose herself?

Alix Lapri: I hope that she chooses herself, honestly, because she really never has. We’ll have to see what goes down [to see] which side she does pick. In some of these situations, I feel like it gets picked for her. She ends up in a place that she doesn’t even really want to be. So I think complex is a great word, but we’ll have to see.

How do you feel she’s grown since Power into Ghost?

I think that she’s gotten a lot more confident with her decisions and in herself. She’s taking up space and [owning] her power. She definitely speaks her mind and does not let anyone run over her and I really, really love that about her. Something I really, really love is if you let someone in and they let you down, you’re still a good person for deciding to do what is normal, which is to make connections, open up, and be a good person. Things don’t always go your way, but you’re still a good person.

At this point in the season, what do you think Effie’s end goal is?

Always school. School is her end game. Her ultimate goal is to be out of the game. I know a lot of characters in the Power universe say that, but they’re also like, ‘But I’m in love with this. I gotta go a little further. I can’t…’ And that’s just definitely not her, not even a little bit. She wants out. I just think that she’s stuck right now, which is a scary place to be, and it’s super unfortunate, but she has to do what she has to do for now to work her way out of this pickle that she’s in.

Would you say that she kinda set herself up for this because she chased after this guy or money?

Yes, it was all her. She has a super big brain [and] did not use it; I think that was a choice. I don’t feel like she was finessed by any man to stay in because it’s never really been her. She likes people, but she will also sell their heads to the highest bidder. I think that [staying in] was a choice [but] she does ultimately want love. When Tariq approached her like, ‘Oh, no, we can get out of the life together and then go on to have a normal life,’ her eyes lit up. That’s something she’s always wanted, but if she has to get out by herself, she has to get out by herself.

She loved that moment in Italy with Tariq. Like you said, it felt normal for once. Do you think that Effie can have it all: power, education, money, and love?

No. I think that she could, but not the way that she’s operating right now. She has to change her ways if she wants [it] all. We’ll have to see if she’s smart enough to do that because she has it all at her disposal, but she is being a little bit hasty in her decision-making right now.

Especially since she abandoned her Stanford interview for Cane. She’s constantly sacrificing or prioritizing men over her own needs and wants. Do you feel that tug of war internally when playing this character?

Yes, actually. I would have discussions with the writers and showrunners about that. Are we reaching a point where she’s boy-absorbed? Because I’ve never seen that for her, and if we’re going to do that, then we have to do it for a reason. So [I’ve been] definitely very conflicted when it came to that because that is so not me. If you’re not showing the good signs, then I’m going to believe you. Goodbye.

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If Tariq is like Ghost, do you think Effie is his Tasha, his Angela, or is she her own person in his life?

She’s got to be her own person because she means more than Angela, right? I think that Ghost and Angela were always really in love, but he was also sometimes not fully ready to give her everything. I think with Tariq and Effie, they felt very right. It was their circumstances that were wrong, and it just kind of brought out the worst in both of them. But she also understands Tariq more than Tasha understood Ghost. So, I don’t know. I don’t know if she fits in with either one of them, which I’ve seen a lot as well. In a lot of the discussions, I always see the comparisons, and [to me], she’s neither.

But I feel like as Effie and Tariq search for this sense of normalcy and try to get out of the game, they’re equally conflicted. Do you think they will find their way back to each other?

I hope so. Their story is always just one of my favorites. I love watching them on-screen together, so hopefully.