Exclusive: Greenleaf’s Lovie Simone On Joining The Cast Of ‘The Craft: Legacy’ and ‘Power: Book III’

Currently On demand everywhere this witching season is the supernatural thriller, The Craft: Legacy, which is Blumhouse’s continuation of the cult hit The Craft. an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers.

Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, the film stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Nicholas Galitzine, with Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny. Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment are producing the film for Columbia Pictures.

For Lovie Simone, who plays Tabby, one of the four witches, she continues to have a breakout year on film and TV. Earlier this year, she had a starring role in Selah and the Spades. She also finished up her run as Zora on OWN’s critically acclaimed Gospel series Greenleaf. She recently landed a role on another spinoff of the Power franchise, in Power Book III.

In speaking with Simone, she talked about her role in The Craft: Legacy and getting a role in the Power franchise.

How would you best describe this film? Is it a remake or reboot?

Lovie Simone: This is a continuation. It’s a new story. It has a lot of respect for the original film. I don't want them to think that we're trying to recreate or mimic the original. It's more so to give the girls of today that feeling that everyone in the 1990s got from the original craft. 

What attracted you to the project?

Lovie Simone: Well for me, I love the character, Tabby. I just was obsessed with her. I love girls who aren't your typical teenage girls. I love the fact that she was a witch, a tomboy, a gamer and all these other things. I just felt like she embodied the idea of duality. I just love that about her and I wanted to explore more. But then when I had a FaceTime call with the director Zoe Lister Jones, we were just talking and she was telling me like about the film and about what it means to her. She then talked about everything that it was going to touch upon. I did read the script and it felt like so natural and so right for me just to be in the craft world. It was about sisterhood and your difference being your power. I feel like I identify with those a lot. It was very easy and a no brainer.

Did you see the original prior to this movie or afterwards?

Lovie Simone: I saw the original a couple of days before I auditioned for it because I wanted to do my homework and see what the craft realm and world felt like to see if I could provide any of that. That energy. But yeah, I like the craft effect happened to me. I know everybody who watched The Craft were like, "Oh my god, that movie changed my life. I watched it and then it was like this." I was like, "Wow, really?" Then I watched it and I was like “Whoa, I am a weirdo sister.”

How was working with the cast?

Lovie Simone: Working with the cast was great. This was the first time, because I am still new in this industry, where I had a lot of time to hang out with girls around my age and just bond. It was definitely worth it. Before filming we had a week and we all were just cooking together and going out and exploring Toronto and doing rituals like New Moon rituals and meditating and doing yoga. I think The Craft bringing us together as a coven definitely set the tone for our friendship. It was very empowering and very uplifting and understanding. I love hanging out with the girls and I'm happy that it translated on camera because I really do love them. 

Do you think a new Craft film was necessary?

Lovie Simone: Definitely only because with the way The Craft is, it’s very essential to people who find themselves with identity crisis and find themselves out of the norm, or just constantly having that feeling of "Where do I belong?” or “What do I do?” The Craft Legacy does a good job in like the sense that it doesn't end with girls going against each other, and it doesn't have all of those undertones more so than uniting and coming together and realizing that the only way we're going to get through this is we take a stand and have belief in ourselves and for the future. The movie touches on hyper masculinity, and everything that that comes with that. Suppression, Oppression and all of that.

I think a lot of people, not even just young women, but young men would be a little more hip to the effects of that and what that looks like. I can't wait for it to be more like an awareness thing that it brings, and also that feeling of comfort and just for the time that we're in a little bit of an escape as we're going to be home at Halloween.

With Greenleaf now over and a spinoff announced, will you be coming back? Did you have fun on that series?

Lovie Simone: Greenleaf was my college, my four years after high school. That was the best four years only because it really put me in the industry. It was my first big thing. Having a whole bunch of established actors who I could see as my aunt, my uncle, my brother, and my sister was very comforting for me. It also helped me find my own place in my own voice and my acting too because I was watching it and living it almost like every day. I'm definitely blessed for Greenleaf and I love the family and I love Zora. I love saying outlandish things that I know people are gonna hate me but they'll love me for. 

Can you talk about being cast on Power Book III?

Lovie Simone: Power Book III was after Greenleaf had ended. I auditioned for it. It was really crazy because I I feel like I'm going to have the same feelings that I had for Greenleaf for Power in the sense that like I'm literally back home in New York filming this and I'm going to be with all of these really cool actors who I already see as family in a sense. I don't think the Davina is the same as any of my characters that I have played. I'm really excited to dive into that role because I do think being a black girl growing up in the city is just a whole different world and it adds like so many years to you and it just makes you move different. I can't wait to see that because I haven't played a New Yorker yet and I do think that I can do that just as copying from New York as well as also learning about more perspective in the sense of dizziness life and what she's going through.