n a recent interview, Essence Atkins dished on Taraji P. Henson and Beyoncé’s roles that she auditioned for, plus those pesky rumors about her relationship with Marlon Wayans.
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.
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.
