Adrienne Walker says Shanti ‘Showstopper’ has always been the ambitious drug player we see in ‘Force’

Shanti “Showstopper” Page has come a long way since she was introduced as a disciplined boxer on Power Book IV: Force. She’s now working alongside boyfriend Jenard Sampson to take over the Chicago drug game, revealing an ambitious and fearless side of Adrienne Walker‘s character.

“Shanti was always that woman. … She’s playing chess, everyone else is playing checkers,” Walker tells ABC Audio. Though Shanti has identified the benefits of working with her partner, Walker clarifies that Shanti’s love for Jenard is real.

“Even though she has this love for Jenard that she’s had for years, she knows that she can use that to her advantage. … She does love him, but in the meantime, she still gon’ get what she wants,” Walker says.

“Shanti’s version of love is what you’re seeing,” she continues. “It’s selfish, it’s conditional, it’s violent at times, but that’s what she knows and that’s what she knows to be loved.”

With their romantic and working relationship ongoing, Kris D. Lofton, who portrays Jenard, says they have a pretty fiery dynamic in season 3.

“I think we’re gonna see moments of connection and true love that are revealed in ways that you may not necessarily understand or expect. Because there’s more than one way to show love. … Sometimes being in love with somebody is loving them enough to let them go, or loving them enough to help them. Or loving them enough to guide them on the right path,” he says. “I feel like we’re gonna see different levels of love between the two with a fiery, fiery, fiery backstory.“

A new episode of Force airs Friday on Starz.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.