‘Marlon’: Essence Atkins On What She Loves About Working With Marlon Wayans

Essence Atkins has a huge trust in Marlon Wayans.

In a recent interview with NBC News, Atkins revealed that she enjoys working with Wayans because she knows that he’s always got her back.

“One of the things that I love about working with him and I think vice-versa is that we know that wherever he leads, I’m gonna be right there and vice versa,” Atkins said of her working relationship with Wayans. “So there’s this unspoken kind of dance and dialogue, it’s like [iconic dance partners] Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, you know, we’re dancing this dance, and I’m just trusting that he’s leading me and he’s got my back.”

On NBC’s “Marlon,” Wayans and Atkins play divorced couple Marlon and Ashley Wayne who try to stay friends for the sake of their two children, Marley (Notlim Taylor) and Zack (Amir O’Neil). Wayans, who co-created and exec produces the show, told Comedy Hype in August that he knew right off the bat that he wanted Atkins to play his ex-wife on the show.

“I knew I wanted Essence [for the show] …. but there is a political process,” Wayans said at the time. “You can’t just go ‘I want that person, deal with it.’ I had chemistry with pretty much everyone that came in but my chemistry with Essence jumped off the screen. I told her when we did ‘A Haunted House’ [that] I love the way she works with me. Essence knows when to jump in. She always has something good to say that’s on character. I told her if I ever was going to do TV, ‘You are going to be my Phylicia Rashad.’”

Atkins recalled that same moment during a separate interview with Bossip. “When Marlon and I shot ‘Haunted House’ five years ago … we were in hair and makeup and Marlon looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to do a TV show and you’re going to play my wife,’” Atkins shared. “I said ‘I would love that, that would be dope.’ Cut to last year when we shot the pilot, he was on my left and he looked back at me and said ‘I told you,’ and I said ‘You did.’ The rapport, the chemistry, the love and trust that exist between us, I hope that you guys see that it’s believable that we have known and trusted each other for years.”

“Marlon” ended its freshman run last September. While NBC renewed the series for Season 2 in the same month, the network has yet to set a premiere date for the next installment.