It is difficult to fathom that audiences have been bearing witness to Essence Atkins’ artistry on the big and small screens for almost four decades. The actress has made appearances in and led several successful programs from her debut on “The Cosby Show” in 1986, to starring in Disney’s “Smart Guy,” “Ambitions” and the list goes on.
In a March 13 interview on SiriusXM radio show “Effective Immediately,” Atkins, 53, looked back at her career, dishing on the roles that felt within reach and why she will forever answer the call to join in on the Wayans family productions. Get into some of the highlights of the conversation below.
Essence has never missed out on a role that was meant for her, but there are a few that may surprise fans
Baby Boy
In a different timeline, Atkins could have been the fed-up girlfriend screaming, “I hate you!” to Jodi, portrayed by Tyrese Gibson, in the 2001 cult classic. “I screen tested with Tyrese for Johßn Singleton, and then — and I felt so good, y’all. I’m not even gon’ lie, I was like, ‘Ooh, I just killed it!’ and then Taraji [P. Henson] walked in,” she told hosts DJ Hed and Gina Views.
Beyoncé made her acting debut in the MTV made-for-TV musical that put a modern spin on the 1875 French opera “Carmen.” The “Half & Half” star shared, “This is funny. I was just thinking about this the other day. So, do y’all remember Carmen: A Hip Hopera? I auditioned for Carmen. Yeah, I screen tested for Carmen, yes, yes.” Lauryn Hill’s role as Rita in Sister Act 2 also falls under this category of close calls, and as fate would have it, Atkins and the iconic artist crossed paths for another gig.
Essence’s acting legacy has been infused with greatness from the beginning
Atkins detailed how her first audition for a pilot show was called “Diva,” executive produced by Quincy Jones for CBS. She explained, “They saw like 1,500 girls [from] New York, Miami, LA, I wanna say Atlanta … and they narrowed it down to 10, and I was one of the final 10.” The show’s premise mirrored that of FOX’s “Star,” which aired for three seasons from 2016 to 2019, and followed the trials and tribulations of a girl group.
“I had to sing in my audition, I had to act in my audition, I had to dance in my audition … The role that I was auditioning for was the youngest member of the group … it was me, Lauryn Hill and one other person, and neither one of us got it,” she continued. The Deliver Us from Eva beauty did, however, receive wise words from Jones about there always being more opportunities: “‘You did a good job … A train leaves the station every 10 minutes.’” A month later, Atkins secured a pilot with Debbie Allen, Diahann Carroll, John Witherspoon, Jenifer Lewis and Jurnee Smollett, though it never got picked up for a full season.
The Wayans family can always count on Essence
The actress has been working with the endlessly talented Wayans bloodline since 1995, when she landed an appearance on “The Wayans Bros.” She’s flexed her comedic chops on their film productions, too, with credits in A Haunted House, A Haunted House 2 and Dance Flick, as well as on the sitcom “Marlon.” The Hollywood veteran is currently starring alongside Damon Wayans Sr. and Damon Wayans Jr. on CBS’ “Poppa’s House.” She told the “Effective Immediately” hosts, “I tell ‘em, ‘Whatever y’all call me and ask me to do, I’mma say yes’ because I always have such a good time. Besides how talented they all are … They’re such incredible human beings. Like, walking into an environment with them, it’s just so loving, so fun, so cool. They treat everybody with kindness.”
Essence Atkins is not dating Marlon Wayans
Marlon and Atkins played divorced co-parents to a preteen son and daughter on his eponymous scripted series for two seasons. They also played a couple in the Haunted House films and have shared glimpses of their tight-knit friendship in real life too, but that’s all they have ever been. “I don’t like when people say me and Marlon dated. Never happened. Never happened. One of the reasons I get so upset about it is because it undermines the fact that we are such good friends and he has warred for me, he has championed me, he has advocated for me just based on [general principle], just based on love, brother-sister love, and it does exist, and it can exist.”
