Essence Atkins on Working With Damon Wayans in Poppa’s House

Essence Atkins mentioned the chance to star in CBS’ new sitcom “Poppa’s Home” alongside Damon Wayans Sr. accomplished her practically 30-year-long profession working with the long-lasting Wayans household.

“It was Damon. I by no means labored with Senior earlier than; I labored with [Damon Wayans] Junior on ‘Dance Flick.’ I had labored with mainly with all the [first] era,” Atkins informed TheWrap of her determination to signal on for the collection. “Like, everyone however Damon, who’s iconic and wonderful and has completed such unbelievable pioneering work within the realm of comedy, and so I simply felt like he was my final frontier on this household. I used to be like, ‘I started working with Damon.’”

Atkins stars in “Poppa’s Home” as Dr. Ivy Reed, a pushed and assured psychologist who joins veteran radio host Poppa (Wayans) as his new co-lead in an effort to spice up his present’s dwindling scores.

“Dr. Ivy is, she is all coronary heart, however masking it with achievement. She leads with the issues that she has completed, and I believe that that’s a standard place for unbiased, robust ladies,” Atkins shared. “However on the opposite facet of it’s that beneath that — and also you even see it a bit within the pilot — she does care and she or he has such a giant coronary heart.”

The actress then defined Dr. Ivy’s intentions behind bringing herself onto Poppa’s present. After a number of verbal scuffles and a hilarious impromptu rap diss cypher, finally Poppa accepts Ivy as his latest addition together with all of the contemporary concepts she needs to introduce him to … a minimum of for now.

“One of many causes that she needs to be part of ‘Poppa’s World’ is as a result of [Poppa] means one thing to her, and she or he’s not afraid to say that. She’s not afraid to articulate, ‘I’ve nice respect for you and an ideal affection for you in what you’ve completed on this style,’” Atkins mentioned. “I believe that’s an necessary factor for all of us to have the ability to acknowledge, is once we meet somebody who has been a hero of ours, to have the ability to give individuals their flowers. We’re at all times speaking about giving individuals their flowers, and I like that she is one who will give anyone their flowers within the second and she or he’s additionally going to present them recommendation which they don’t essentially need.”

Like Ivy, Atkins has been a fan and supporter of the Wayans household over time, having starred in lots of their initiatives — together with “Dance Flick,” “A Haunted Home,” “The Wayans Brothers” and, most lately, “Marlon” in 2017.

“I’ve labored with the household for thus lengthy. It’s actually nearly 30 years since I first labored with this household,” Atkins famous. “My first time working with them was 1995 on the ‘Wayans Brothers’ with Kim Wayans and Shawn on the time, and clearly John Witherspoon was on the present as effectively, who performed my uncle. And my first pilot that I ever did for NBC. So we’ve been in one another’s worlds for a very long time.”

And whereas she’s grow to be an extension of the Wayans household legacy, the star mentioned there’s no handouts in terms of reserving a job in one in all their initiatives. “You’re being vetted. You’re not simply being handed the important thing the dominion … you need to earn it. I needed to earn this function. Sure, I used to be invited to a display take a look at, however I nonetheless needed to earn the function and undergo the CBS and CBS Studios community to be employed. There’s a course of and so they do respect the method of it.”

“Like Judd Apatow, who has taken this romantic comedy/friendship world, and he continues to make the most of the identical gamers. Generally Seth Rogen is the lead, and he simply permits all of those folks that he adores, Steve Carell, that he loves working with and simply type of retains passing the baton,” she continued. “I really feel just like the Wayans have completed that, not simply with their household, but in addition with folks that have come to know, love, respect and belief to have the ability to inform a narrative and produce one thing to it myself.”

“This present, particularly watching Damon Sr. and Jr. taking part in father and son, is particular, even when I wasn’t in it,” Atkins concluded. “The love between them is palpable, and I significantly am so excited concerning the world attending to witness, not simply two sensible comedians, however a Black man and his son actually love on one another in a really humorous means.”

“Poppa’s Home” premieres Monday, Oct. 21 on CBS at 8:30 p.m. EST/PST.