Mekhi Phifer Talks Showing ‘All Aspects’ of Markus in ‘Truth Be Told’ Season 3 (Exclusive)

Season 3 of Truth Be Told is currently streaming on Apple TV+, and it deals with various emotional issues, including missing children and sex trafficking. And for Truth Be Told star Mekhi Phifer, his character, Markus, has dealt with a lot this season, leading him to make some bad choices. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Phifer about Season 3 being the most challenging for Markus. 

“I wouldn’t call it the most challenging. It definitely allowed me to show all the aspects of who Markus is, but I would say that yeah, it definitely allows me to delve deeper into this character,” Phifer exclusively told PopCulture. “I don’t think he’s ever played the character on the surface. I think it has always been levels too, but it’s just very personal. So what the audience gets to witness is just a much more personal approach to solving the case, getting down to the nuts and bolts of what it is that he’s trying to accomplish. So I think that this season allows him to be… It just becomes much more personal. So there’s a lot more emotion involved in everything that he’s pursuing with Pop (Octavia Spencer).”

Markus, a former detective, and longtime friend of Poppy, has dealt with her daughter, Trini (Mychala Lee), being trafficked. He and his wife Zarina (Merle Dandridge) get Trini back with the help of Poppy, but the aftermath has been so much for Markus that he begins drinking again. He is now looking for the man who was with Trini when they found her. 

Phifer believes Season 3 of Truth Be Told is the most emotional yet. “I think that it definitely has a stronger emotional aspect to it just because of the subject matter and the people involved. These are families, not just one particular family, but it’s family. It’s like no one can really just duck their head in the sand. It truly affects, even in the most solid household where you have a mother, father that are educated, very successful, it still can happen in that household.”

Each season of Truth Be Told features a notable actor or actress being part of the story. For Season 3, Gabrielle Union is featured as a high school principal who helps Poppy with finding missing Black girls in the community. Viewers also find out that she is also a survivor of sexual assault. 

“Gab and I, we go back to the nineties,” Phifer said. “I’ve known her over 20 years and she’s always been a friend, and there’s always a mutual respect between us, but we’ve never gotten a chance to work together. We’ve been in each other’s same circles, we know all the same people, but we’ve never gotten a chance or an opportunity to work together. So this was definitely a blessing to be able to finally get to do that her.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.