“Power Book II: Ghost”'s Michael Rainey Jr. Teases Tariq's Inner 'Battle' Not to 'End Up Like His Father' (Exclusive)

After more than a decade of playing Tariq St. Patrick on 'Power' and 'Ghost', Michael Rainey Jr. tells PEOPLE he's ready to say goodbye

Michael Rainey Jr. is ready to say goodbye to Tariq St. Patrick.

The 23-year-old actor has played the character for nearly half his life, starting when he was 12 years old on Power — and he feels like he's "getting old."

"Saying I've done one thing for 10 years — it just makes me feel like I'm really old, I'm not going to lie," he tells PEOPLE. "But it's a great thing because I've learned so much."

With the premiere of the fourth and final season of Power Book II: Ghost on June 7, Rainey Jr. will mark the beginning of the end of his character's story, which picked up following the death of his father, Ghost (Omari Hardwick), in season 6 of Power. In 2020, when he first learned he was getting his own spinoff, he says he "didn't believe" it.

"I'm like, 'First of all, nobody likes my character. How do you think a show based around a character that everyone hates will be successful?'" he recalls thinking. Four years later, it's "bittersweet" to say goodbye, but "I feel like things just have to come to an end," Rainey Jr. says — and he's planning on going out with a bang. "It's going to shake the room for sure."

Related: Power Book II: Ghost's Tariq Becomes an 'Apex Predator' in Vengeful Trailer for Show's Final Season (Exclusive)

"[Fans are] going to have no choice but to be happy that it's the last season. The way we're going to roll it out, it's just going to be action-packed. They're going be super excited every episode, it's just insane," he teases of the final chapter of Tariq's story, which finds him and his best friend, Brayden (Gianni Paolo) with "huge targets" on their backs.

"They've been betrayed pretty heavily and this season is literally Tariq and Brayden against the world," he says. "Obviously they're going to bump heads, in the midst of everything, they're two different people, they have two different mindsets, but at the end of the day, they're still there for each other. They still got each other's back."

It's not all smooth sailing, though. Per the season synopsis, Brayden "starts flirting with a new, reckless lifestyle, leaving Tariq to wonder if there really is room for two at the top."

"The road definitely gets bumpy," Rainey Jr. admits. "Their friendship is definitely challenged. The loyalty is challenged a lot this season, and I'm excited for the people to see what's going to happen."

Related: Power Universe Expands to Add New Prequel Series Origins — Find Out Which Fan-Favorite Characters Are Returning

The other battle Tariq will face this season — which will air in two parts, starting June 7 and returning on September 6 — is his ongoing internal struggle not to become just like his father, who he shot and killed.

"You get to see Tariq's literal battle every day, from him just literally becoming like Ghost, but he doesn't even realize," Rainey Jr. says. "We're diving into that this season and you'll see the challenges that he faces because he's kind of in denial. Tariq really doesn't think he's like Ghost, but the world knows. The world knows. That definitely will be brought to the forefront a lot more this season."

Despite the strife it causes him, it's a battle that'll save him, too, as the actor says of how Tariq's story ends: "The fact that he doesn't want to end up like his father is keeping him alive, but the fact that he doesn't realize that he's so similar to his father is pushing him closer to death."

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Season 4 of Power Book II: Ghost premieres June 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

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