Essence Atkins is no stranger to the sitcom world, and working alongside the legendary comedian family, the Wayans, is not a foreign concept to her either. This time, she’s working with Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. on the CBS comedy series Poppa’s House, bringing her wits and great energy to match along the way.
According to the official show description, the show features Wayans as a “legendary talk radio host and happily divorced ‘Poppa,’ who has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son, a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.”
Atkins’ character, Ivy, is relentless in inserting herself (whether asked to or not) in fixing problems, and in this case, she is fixated on working alongside Poppa to restore the feeling to his work as a radio host.
Much like her character who refuses to take no for an answer, Atkins held the same temperament when putting her name in the ring for the role.
What does working alongside the Wayans mean to Atkins?
At the start of her career, Atkins first worked with the Wayans family in 1995 by way of The Wayans Bros., working alongside siblings Shawn, Marlon and Kim. She actually played the role of Kim’s best friend in the show.
The moment has come full circle for her as Marlon was the one who advocated for her to join the show. Atkins also had the opportunity to work alongside Kim again, this time as the director for episodes of Poppa’s House.
“I might get emotional,” Atkins told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “I have worked with this family multiple times now. This is my sixth time working with the Wayans, and to say how grateful I am is an understatement. To be welcomed in, to be ushered in, to be championed the way that they have for me…it’s unapologetic, it feels like nepotism, but it’s an earned thing. Once they become fans of yours, once you have their respect, then they’re going to fight for you. They’re going to champion you, and they want you to win.”
She added, “It’s such an incredible thing coming from a legacy that is them, right? That is game-changing, and that has just pioneered in so many areas, particularly in comedy, such a talented family, such an iconic family, and for them to consider me to be part of their arsenal, and part of their heart, sorry…I’m getting emotional. It means the world to me that I have earned their respect and that I have earned their trust. When you do that in this business, and then someone rewards you with constant thoughtfulness and consideration. And look, I had to audition for this role. It wasn’t given to me, but there was Marlon in Damon’s ear when Damon first told him the idea for the show.”
The audition that changed it all
During an interview ahead of the premiere of Poppa’s House, Damon Wayans Sr. admits that he was skeptical to listen to his brother Marlon’s advice for having Atkins join the show, but once she conducted the audition, he says there was truly no one who could top her performance afterward.
“From the moment Essence walked in the door, she was funny, she was lovable, beautiful, she was everything I wanted, and the funny thing is, she came in first, and it was just hard for everybody else who followed, because she was that good, and her attitude was, ‘Okay, you’re going to make me read for this like I don’t work with your whole family, including your son right there?’”
Damon Jr. added, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. I’ve never seen somebody come in there and just command the stage like that in a read. As soon as she left, we all looked at each other like, ‘Well, alright.’” Damon Sr. says that not only has working alongside Essence been an absolute joy, but to have her come in ready to contribute, improvise, and play, has helped to elevate the dynamic of the entire show.
“I can’t wait for the development of our relationship on camera,” Damon Sr. concluded.
Why is a sitcom like Poppa’s House so necessary at this time
As a sitcom veteran from shows like Smart Guy and Half & Half, Atkins understands the importance and value that laughter has on society, which is what she’s excited to bring back to the world through her role as Ivy in Poppa’s House.
“I think we all need to laugh,” she said. “I think we all need to sit next to one another, and lean in, and laugh, and fall over each other, and have a camaraderie. There’s such divisiveness in the world. There’s such warring and fractions, and people just feeling disconnected. I’m sure you’ve heard the statistics about loneliness on the heels of COVID and how so many people are plagued and feeling disconnected.”
“Even though we have the world at our fingertips on our phones, we feel more isolated than ever. I feel like this show is an invitation for watching with your family, for sitting down with your sister, or your girlfriend, or your boo thing…or just the people that you love–and having something to view together,” Atkins continued. “To talk about together and laugh and have a perspective that you connect to. In the end, part of the beauty of having Damon Sr. and Jr. on this show is it offers something that no other show does, really other than [NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez], which is that they are, in fact, father and son. And it is a beautiful thing to see the love that exists between them, and it’s palpable. It is literally something that I think people will feel through the screen. I think everyone needs that.
Poppa’s House airs weekly on CBS.
The post Essence Atkins On Still Working With The Wayans Family Nearly 30 Years After ‘The Wayans Bros’: ‘I Might Get Emotional’ appeared first on Blavity.
