Source: VALERIE MACON / Getty
When Power Book III: Raising Kanan was first announced, we were excited to finally have the back story of 50 Cent’s deadly Power character. Now that we’re tuned in, we’re also happy to realize the prequel series is just as much Jukebox’s coming-of-age story as it is Kanan’s. Those who watched the original show know Jukebox was Kanan’s money-hungry, cutthroat cousin who nearly killed James St. Patrick’s son, Tariq St. Patrick. Kanan had so much love for the young kingpin-in-the-making, however, he ended up offing his own cousin before she could do Tariq more harm.
In Raising Kanan, we get a lot of insight into their childhood — how Kanan and Jukebox were raised, how they got into the drug game, the traumas they faced individually and together, and the insecurities they grew up with. For her part, Jukebox is queer and struggling with coming out to her dad, which definitely wouldn’t have been an easy task in the early ’90s (there’s still a ton of hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community now, in 2021). Her mom is not around (yet!) and to top that off, her girlfriend is white and rich, so Jukebox is also dealing with racial and socioeconomic discrimination.
Source: Starz / Power Book III: Raising Kanan
Hailey Kilgore does an incredible job of portraying Jukebox’s fear, courage, loneliness, strength, love, and paranoia. If you haven’t tuned in already, you really should.
In real life, Hailey is a 22-year-old actress and singer from Humble, Texas. Her breakout role was as Ti Moune in the Broadway revival of musical, Once On This Island. Thanks to her work in that role, Hailey became of the youngest people to ever be nominated for the ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical’ Tony Award. We’re not surprised — just check out her vocal chops in the clip below.
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Hailey also played Aretha Franklin’s younger sister, Carolyn Franklin, in the critically acclaimed movie Respect, which hit theaters back in August. Yes, sis, is working!
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Check out more photos of the young, up-and-coming beauty below and be sure to follow her on Instagram for more. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
