‘Ozark’ Season 3 Actor Joseph Sikora Talks Joining Cast of Netflix Series and Bringing His ‘A-Game’ (Exclusive)

When Netflix‘s Ozark returns for Season 3 later this month, it will feature series newcomer Joseph Sikora, who is most well-known for his role as Tommy in the Starz drama Power. Speaking to PopCulture.com in a previous interview, Sikora opened up about joining the cast of the intense, backwoods crime drama, including how he had to bring his “A-Game” when auditioning for the recurring character role.

“I’ll be in between five to seven episodes and it’s a cool storyline,” he shared, then going on to compare the character to his very memorable role on Power. “You know, the guy is just, I would say that he’s just more… The circumstances for him are even more unfortunate for Tommy.

“He’s a far more pathetic character, as most of the characters on Ozark maybe except for Wendy really are in so many ways, so it just is a totally different world and he’s a totally different character,” he continued. “I can say that there’s only one similarity between the characters, and I will say that they both like muscle cars, but other than that, they’re miles apart.”

Sikora noted that he “was a fan of the show” before the prospective role came up, which he says “was probably helpful for the audition.” Being a man of high confidence but low ego, he made no presumptions about his reputation when it came to auditioning.

Pointing out the difference between working with powerhouse actors like Omari Hardwick and 50 Cent in gritty inner-city crime series, to working with equally as inimitable stars like Laura Linney and Jason Bateman in a dark rural thriller, Sikora said it was “night and day different.”

When it comes to 50 Cent and Hardwick, Sikora points out that he spent time getting “to know [them] over the six years,” and over the course of that time he grew to “respect both” as men of “perspective” and “discipline.”

“Jason Bateman doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground,” Sikora then quipped, “I’m just a guy who auditioned for his show with many other guys that auditioned for the same role, so this was not a gimme. They didn’t seek me out.”

Sikora went on to joke that he was “just some dude who showed up” on set, and that Bateman, essentially, wouldn’t “know me from a hole in the ground, any of my work, anything.” None of this said is to be critical. Quite the opposite, in fact. Sikora says that this provided him a welcomed challenge during his audition, and for the role that laid ahead.

“That means that you really have to come up with your ideas, your A game,” he explained. “You have to have a little bit of humble pie. You’re not Tommy from Power. You’re not a lead on the show. It’s a different level of acting.”

Ozark Season 3 premieres on Friday, March 27 on Netflix.