Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens and two-time NFL MVP, has formally added a new skill to his resume this offseason: acting. Jackson debuted as an actor on May 9 in the crime thriller “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” on Starz, where he played a heartless enforcer named E-Tone.
Jackson addressed his appearance on the show at the Ravens minicamp on Tuesday and revealed he had landed the gig through one of his X posts.
Lamar Jackson Details “Fun” Acting Debut, Reveals How He Landed The Gig
Jackson’s character E-Tone works under Unique, a role played by rapper and actor Joey Bada$$. Though new to the acting world, Jackson’s presence was anything but timid. In a pivotal scene inside a club bathroom, E-Tone executes a ruthless killing, showing viewers a side of Jackson far removed from the football field. He also appeared to be shrugging off the deed while talking to Bada$$ in another scene.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Ravens superstar QB Lamar Jackson assassinated a guy in the bathroom in his acting debut on the hit TV show Raising Kanan.
Lamar is one of the best actors in the NFL 👀 pic.twitter.com/uhr8lqxO1v
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 9, 2025
Jackson had tweeted in December 2023 that he wanted to be in a few episodes of the show, and while the QB said he had put it out jokingly, the show’s executive producer, Sascha Penn, actually made the wish come true.
“Shout out to Sascha [Penn, series creator], that’s the producer, that’s the guy who directed, that’s the guy who actually got me on the show,” Jackson said at the minicamp. “I tweeted about it, I was like, ‘man, Raising Kanan is lit,’ or whatever, and he posted about it. I commented on his Instagram, I’m like ‘don’t kill me off, I actually want to be in the show. Then like, that summer when the season was over, last year, they had me in New York filming and stuff.”
Lamar Jackson has a newfound appreciation for actors and actresses 🎬🤩
(via @Ravens/ @Lj_era8) pic.twitter.com/hfnn8PuukF
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) June 18, 2025
Jackson termed it a “dope dig” and said he enjoyed shooting before clarifying he meant the scene and not the character.
“It was a dope gig. I had fun shooting, doing my shoot, shooting the film, the show, get that out there. I had a lot of fun with it, and a lot goes into it, like shout out to all the actors and actresses. Man, a lot going on all day, for one scene,” Jackson added.
Jackson’s appearance carried weight and intensity, surprising many fans who never expected to see their franchise QB turn into a fictional hitman. It marked his first-ever scripted role, and it’s safe to say he impressed in the brief cameo.
Whether Jackson will make any more appearances remains to be seen, but he is now focused on the 2025 season with the Ravens. He is coming off a stellar NFL season with 4,172 passing yards, 915 rushing yards, and 45 total touchdowns, finishing second in the MVP race, and will be looking to make a deeper postseason run this season.