Worth the Wade:An interview with Jensen Atwood

By Gregg Shapiro

There’s no question that when Patrik-Ian Polk’s series “Noah’s Arc” premiered on Logo 20 years ago, it

was a groundbreaking creation. The story of a group of black gay men and their wonderful friendship. The arc of the cute main character, Noah (Darryl Stephens), included his relationship with hot Wade

(Jensen Atwood), a situation that regularly steamed up TV screens. It may, in fact, be what brought

viewers back repeatedly, including a 2008 movie, “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” (in which Noah and

Wade get married) as well as 2020 “Noah’s Arc” short, and now, a new full-length feature “Noah’s Arc: The Movie,” airing on Paramount+/Showtime on June 20. In the movie, Noah and Wade face new

challenges, including the expansion of their family via surrogate. Atwood, who was briefly in Fort

Lauderdale during Pride month, was kind enough to make time for an in person interview.

Gregg Shapiro: Jensen, since the early 2000’s, when the “Noah’s Arc” series premiered on Logo, you have been playing the character of Wade, including in the latest installment, “Noah’s Arc: The Movie.” What was it about Wade that appealed to you as an actor?

Jensen Atwood: The thing that appealed to me the most is the impact on the community. The

difference that this show and the character have made in people's lives. I still get emails to this day

from people who are finding out about the show for the first time, about how it saved their lives.

GS: “Noah’s Arc: The Movie” was, once again, written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk, the creator of the entire franchise. What's the secret to your long-standing working relationship?

JA: It's a friendship. Patrik is a good friend of mine. I'm thankful that we've connected on a personal

level. I think that's one of the reasons why the working relationship has lasted so long. Also, for me, as an actor, I always look to my director. I say I’m a third eye actor, where I look for the vision of the director. Patrik is that director with the vision, and if you follow his lead, he's gonna take you to the

right place.

GS: Because you’ve all been working together for more than 20 years, in the series, as well as in the 2008 movie “Noah’s Arc:Jumping the Broom” and the 2020 short, does the cast feel like family to you?

JA: Yes. We are a family. It's a “Noah's Arc” family. A lot of the guys I knew before “Noah's Arc,”

and “Noah's Arc,” has definitely bonded us in that way.

GS: In the years between “Jumping the Broom” and the new full-length movie, many changes have occurred, and the movie addresses some of them, including that Wade and Noah are becoming fathers via a surrogate. How do you personally feel about the challenges and rewards of fatherhood?

JA: It's probably one of the most profound positions that you can have in life. Being a father and

being responsible for another life, and hopefully being able to guide them in the right direction. I didn't

have the best or closest relationship with my own father, which I feel like I missed out on. I refuse to be that same absence. Presence in rearing children is everything, and it's important.

GS: In the movie, Wade and Noah both have booming careers, which leads them on a quest to find a nanny. One of the agencies sends a very conservative woman, played by Jasmine Guy, to interview Wade and Noah. What was it like being in scenes with Jasmine?

JA: It was phenomenal! This might sound a little weird, but, “Noah's Arc” has everything to do with

sexuality, and I want to say that Jasmine Guy kind of helped shape my sexuality [laughs].

GS: From watching her on “A Different World?”

JA: Yeah, from “A Different World.” She's an icon, and it was an honor to work with her. I didn't know she was going to be a part of the project, and so to see her across from me, to actually be in a

scene (with her), just her and me, it meant the world to me. I can't wait to put it on my reel [laughs].

GS: Even though Beyoncé never makes an appearance in the movie, there's a lot of talk about her. Would you say you are a Beyoncé fan?

JA: I am a Beyoncé fan, but I also look at her as a coworker, as well. I danced for Beyoncé for a while, and I did a few of her videos, as well. So, I look at her as a coworker more than anything, but she's definitely fan-worthy [laughs].

GS: Without giving away too much, the ending of the movie is a little ambiguous, even ending with a question mark. If there was a “Noah’s Arc: The Movie” sequel, would you come back for that?

JA: I'm happy to hear how the end is ending and/or possibly not ending. But, yeah, I would love to

come back for more “Noah's Arc.” It's a staple at this point, and I am proud to be a part of it. So, let's do it again!

GS: You and Darryl Stephens look as though neither of you has aged over these 20 or so years. Would you care to let the readers know how you manage that?

JA: How do I manage that? Hair dye [laughs]. It’s been a long time, 20 years, and I have a lot more grey hair than I did when we first started “Noah's Arc.” I like to try to stay true to characters. Wade is a

character for me, and I didn't want to get too far away from the familiarity of what people know of Wade, which are the classic braids and a goatee. So, I cut off my beard and went back to the goatee. The goatee was a lot whiter than it used to be, so I did a little dying there, and there you have it, Wade’s back [laughs].

GS: Are there any upcoming film or TV projects you’d like to mention?

JA: Yes! I am super proud of Carl Weber’s BET+ series “The Family

Business: New Orleans.” I play Saint on there. I already mentioned the Tubi series “Spilled Paint,”

which will also be out soon. And I was lucky enough to be in a film called “Run” that will be in theaters in August, which is from Chris Stokes and Marques Houston’s production company.