Five Questions with Power TV Star, Michael Rainey Jr

Tariq St Patrick may be the character everyone loves to hate on the TV drama Power. But the teenager who plays him - Michael Rainey Jr - says he couldn't be more different from Ghost's troubled son.

The TV star is currently in Jamaica, where he has been soaking up the best the island has to offer. Dubbing Jamaica his first home, the actor has been submerging himself in the local culture. He has already won the hearts of some Jamaicans who are open to forgiving his on-screen character, after seeing Rainey doing Silent Ravers 'Flairy dance'.

He is hoping to win a few more fans as he opens up in this week's Five Questions With ... feature. Here's to getting to know a little bit more about Michael Rainey Jr.

How special is Jamaica to you?

Jamaica is definitely one of my favourite places to be. My family is from here, so its definitely very special to me. I love Jamaica - it's the absolute best. If you want a good vacation, come to Jamaica.

You will be celebrating your 18th birthday in September. Any plans for the big day?

I'm gonna celebrate it out here. I wanna throw a party - but a boat party. I wanna do something different because I've thrown parties for my birthday before, but I've never had a boat party, and I really want to have that.

What has been your favourite thing to eat on your trip so far, and can you cook any of these dishes?

(Laughs) No! Only my grandma and my mom. They're really good cooks. I can't cook Jamaican food, but ackee and saltfish is my favourite Jamaican dish. I like oxtail and jerked pork and stuff like that, but ackee and saltfish has always been my favourite. Also, Tastee has the best beef patties ever. It's my favourite beef patty of all time.

(a) We hear you want to transition into music as well. How is that going?

It's going great. I have a lot of friends who rap, so it's definitely been fun. I've been in the studio a lot. That's where I spend most of my time if I'm not working on films.

(b) Do you plan on doing any dancehall/reggae-inspired music?

Yes. I want to do a full dancehall-type song. I wanna work with all types of artistes, like Popcaan, Masicka - all of them. Right now, I'm listening to Teejay, Masicka, and Squash.

Do you find that it's difficult for people to separate your character on Power - Tariq St Patrick - from who you are in real life?

Yes. I feel like a lot of people think I'm the same as him until they get to know me. I'm completely different. The only thing me and Tariq have in common is that we're calm, cool, and collected. I'm laid-back, observant, obedient - just the complete opposite of Tariq.

Bonus question: In terms of films and the type of movies you want to do, what do you see yourself doing in a few years?

I don't really have dream roles. I kinda just go with the flow, but lately I see myself being in a superhero movie, like a real action-type movie. Those are really cool, so a superhero movie is something I wanna do for sure.