You might have seen him in movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shutter Island, or Jack Reacher. Or perhaps, you’ve seen him on an episode of Frasier, CSI: Miami or NY, or Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe you don’t remember Joseph Sikora in any of those, but if you do, or have watched Power, then you know the actor as Ghost’s best friend, “Tommy Egan.” This particular role has helped raise Sikora’s stock, not only in Hollywood but also in the African-American community. Aware of his acceptance in the Black community, Sikora recently did an interview sharing that he wears this achievement like a “badge of honor.”
Fans of the Courtney Kemp-created Power universe were introduced to Joseph Sikora thanks to his magnificent and gripping portrayal as one of its main characters. For many, it would be an easy assumption that the Starz series was the breakthrough role for the Chicago-born actor. However, Sikora considers the boost in his career to be when he was cast in the 2003 HBO film Normal. According to the actor’s interview with Untitled Magazine, actor and star of Normal, Tom Wilkinson, advised him to “think the line and the camera will read it.” This moment changed everything for Sikora, as he gave Wilkinson’s advice his own interpretation.
“When you commit to what you want to express, it doesn’t take much for it to read on film.” It’s evident that Joseph Sikora took this advice and ran with it, as seen on Power. The success of the show birthed multiple spin-offs, including Sikora’s own. The third spin-off in the franchise, Power Book IV: Force, tells Tommy Egan’s story, picking up where we left off with him on Power’s series finale. Tommy is now setting up shop in Chicago, where he’s sure to inflict all new types of drama!
Recently, Joseph Sikora was a guest on The Wendy Williams Show to speak on the series. During the interview, Sikora spoke to guest co-hosts Remy Ma and Fat Joe about an everyday occurrence that many actors face: fans addressing them by their character’s name. Sikora shared that at first, he would stop fans and state that was not his name. But a conversation with Power Executive Producer 50 Cent changed his perspective.
Sikora went ahead to reveal the talk he had with Fif. “Fans make real investments of their emotions into the character,” the chart-topping rapper said, according to Joseph Sikora. He then explained an analogy that the “In Da Club” rapper shared with him, comparing his fans to a bank. “Say you made an investment into the bank, and the bank was like, ‘Just kidding! Not a bank,'” he continued. So 50 Cent counseled Sikora to “let them” proceed to call him Tommy, as they mean no harm. “They’re claiming you,” Sikora added. “They’re giving you love.” Because of this, he considers it a “badge of honor.”
In a separate interview, Joseph Sikora sat alongside 50 Cent for an interview with XXL. During the interview, the actor dived further into this and shared his reasons for why he loves playing the role of Tommy Egan. “Being always recognized as Tommy in some ways is a badge of honor because, I think that the Black community specifically calls out [BS] pretty quickly,” he said. “And, if I didn’t have my T’s crossed and my I’s dotted, and I didn’t bring truth to that character, that character would not have been accepted. Period.” Because of this, Sikora claims that the acceptance of the Black community is “better than any award.” “You can’t deposit an award in the bank,” Sikora added. But instead, his award gets “deposited in the bank, every episode.” That’s Powerful.
Speaking of the series, Book IV: Force has reportedly done just that. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Joseph Sikora-led series broke records across all platforms, drawing in 3.3 million viewers in total. This achievement makes the series the biggest premiere for any show on the Starz network to date. Before Power, Joseph Sikora played the role of “James Mark Barr” in the Tom Cruise-led film Jack Reacher in 2012. Since becoming Tommy Egan, however, Sikora was also cast in Netflix’s Ozark in season 3 as mafia member Frank Cosgrove Jr.
