R.I.P. “Raina St. Patrick,” but Donshea is still winning
While fame is nothing new for Donshea Hopkins, the past few months have brought increased attention to the actress, artist, and athlete. Hopkins is best known for her portrayal of “Raina St. Patrick,” the daughter of Omari Hardwick’s character on, “Power,” and one of the few innocent characters on the hit Starz series. At the end of last season, however, Raina was murdered in cold blood while her brother looked on in disbelief. The sudden and tragic demise of the character sent shock waves through legions of “Power” fans across the world, and even touched those previously unfamiliar with the show. For Hopkins, it signaled a new chapter. At just 15 years old, her talents and successes already span acting, music, and figure skating, and she will continue to pursue all of her passions. In an exclusive interview with FM Hip Hop, Donshea Hopkins discussed her upcoming projects and the outpouring of support she has received from fans.
FM HIP HOP: You’ve received a lot of attention following the death of Raina, with a spotlight on you and your talents.
DONSHEA HOPKINS: Yes! I’ve had people walk up to me, people that have never watched the show, and they were like, “Oh my God, you were all over my timeline on Instagram. You’ve been trending this whole month, and I just had to watch ‘Power.'” And when people finally watch the whole thing and they got to season four, they were crying. And then some people didn’t even watch it, they just heard what happened, and they started crying. It’s been amazing what impact that has had on people. I knew that some people in other countries watched it, but it’s so crazy– people in Brazil that watch the show, people in the UK. I knew that people would be shocked, sad, and upset, but a few people broke their TVs and their phones, and they were screaming and crying. They were doing videos and holding memorial services. The lovely people at Level Up Apparel made these #BringRainaBack t-shirts, and you can buy them at levelupshopny.bigcartel.com. Most of the proceeds are going to Convoy of Hope for hurricane relief, and March of Dimes for awareness on premature births.
FM: Your character was really developed in the past season, and that gave people some closure as well.
DH: I was glad that Raina got more of a speaking role this season. That’s something that I actually spoke to Courtney Kemp, the creator of the show, about: “I really want Raina to have more of a role this season. In season three, she was really breaking out of her shell, but can we get more from her?” And [Courtney said], “Are you ready? Of course we can get more from Raina. We can build on it.”
FM: You put out some statements regarding your feelings about that episode, questioning whether the death was necessary and how the scene could have been changed. You’ve had a lot of time to process it, and the fans have as well. Do you feel differently about Raina’s death now?
DH: I just want to clear this up because in interviews people thought I was complaining and I wasn’t. I was just expressing how I felt at the time when I found out. I only found out a week before the death scene took place. The next day was literally the table read, and it felt so rushed. At first I was just really shocked like, “This can’t be happening.” And then of course I was upset, but I was more sad than anything. These four-and-a-half, five years are coming to an end. It was really sad having to say goodbye to everyone, but of course it’s not goodbye because you know you’ll probably work with them sometime again soon. But realizing that you won’t be going [to set] almost every day or every week is something that you have to get used to.
At first it was really sad and the whole thing was surreal. And then a month later it hits you and you’re like, “Wow I’m really dead. This is really happening.” And then people walk up to you– because you know that you’re dead, but a lot of people don’t know– and they say, “I can’t wait for your character to grow,” and you have to keep it going. And then when it finally comes out, there’s this huge pressure off your shoulders. You don’t have to keep it a secret. It’s good to know that other people were feeling somewhat the same way you felt when you heard the news. By now I’m cool with it, and I’m totally moving on to bigger and better things. But I’ll always love “Power.” That was my breakout role. I’m always going to hold Raina in a special little box in my heart, and the whole cast and crew. There’s no bad blood or anything– I love everyone over there. They’re family.
FM: Are you taking a break from acting?
DH: I’m definitely not taking a break. Acting is my love and music is my love, so I’m working on both right now. I’m always moving and I always have auditions for shows, movies, and a lot of different things. I’m currently taping a movie and I’m writing some shows on my own. I’m definitely still working, and I’m definitely still acting. I’m still out there working on commercials and a whole bunch of stuff.
FM: What are you working on on the music side?
DH: I am working on some new music. I’m working on the acoustic version of my EP, 3Point2. The regular version of 3Point2 is available now for downloading and streaming everywhere. [The EP] is leading up to the album, and I’m working on the album too. As far as performances, I do know that I probably have a few coming up towards the end of October or beginning of November. When I do perform, I’m going to post about it on my social media: Instagram at @Donshea_Hopkins and Twitter at @DonsheaH. We also have the “Talk to ‘Em” music video and we’re going to start work on the “3Point2” music video.
FM: You’re also passionate about ice skating?
DH: I am! I used to be a competitive figure skater up until I was about 12 [years old]. I had to stop because we were shooting “Power” and I broke my arm. My agents and my managers were like, “No, you cannot do this. You can’t figure skate anymore.” I was heartbroken and I was so upset. I definitely want to get back into it because I was almost right there to where I could have went to nationals, which would have been an awesome feeling. But now that I’m not shooting, I’m going to get back into it. There have actually been actresses that have been to the Olympics, and then they still carry on with their career. So if I can, I definitely would love to go to the Olympics, nationals, internationals– to just inspire other girls of color and even their parents. I feel like the arts are so shunned in black communities and minority communities, and it grows because there’s not a lot of representation. But if you see other people that look like you that are doing it, then you’re going to want to do it.
FM: Are there any other projects that you’re currently working on?
DH: A podcast that I was working on this spring, “The Ghost of Jessica Majors,” is out now. It’s available for downloading on iTunes, and it’s available for streaming on the Pinna app. It tells the story of these three kids, and one is a ghost, [“Jessica”]. She leaves the spiritual world because she was never really at peace, because she doesn’t know what happened to her. They have to solve the mystery of what happened to her and get her back to her family. Or, she can stay a normal, regular girl, and actually live out the rest of her days. It’s scary, it’s creepy, but it’s fun, and it’s really great for all ages. If you love Halloween, then you’re going to love the story.
Brownie Marie | IG: @browniemarie| Twitter: @mz_brownie
