Essence Atkins recently shared how “liberating” it is to work with the Wayans family.
During an interview with PEOPLE, the actress/producer spoke about how working with the family of comedians has been fulfilling.
“I think what makes it work for us is the love, respect, and trust that we have with one another,” Atkins told the outlet. “It’s like we all show up with a very similar mindset. “We all show up to do the work, to tell the best stories, to find ways to augment the laughter and surprise one another.”
Currently, Atkins stars as “Ivy” alongside Damon Wayans, Sr., and his son Damon Wayans, Jr. in the CBS hit sitcom Poppa’s House. Over the years, she has worked with other members of the comedic.
“So, we’ve watched each other grow and become even better as artists. And we’ve always shown up in support of one another. And I love that we listen and we hear each other,” she said.
Akins also said that the Wayans family cultivates “such a collaborative environment on their projects.”
“They really do invite true collaboration and they don’t need credit. There’s no kind of hierarchy. They just want to know, ‘Well, what do you think is funny?’” she said. “And if you think it’s funny, then try it. And if it works, we’ll use it. And if it doesn’t, we’ll keep trying until we find the absolute best moment. And that is such an incredibly liberating feeling.”
When creating with Wayans, “failure isn’t a death sentence; failure completely isn’t condemning. You tried it, it didn’t work, try again. Let’s try something different. Let’s find it together.”
“It’s such an ‘us’ place. It’s a ‘we’ place. And that’s a rare thing in this business,” Atkins added.
Along with Poppa’s House, Atkins is also starring in Queens of Christmas which is streaming on BET+.