Until very recently–we’ve all known Ambitions star Essence Atkins for her fun-loving, lighter roles. But now, she’s proving that we should have never put her in a box. Though she’s still heralded for her roles in series like the ’90s hit Smart Guy, the quirky early 2000s comedy, Half & Half and more recently on the Fox sitcom, Marlon, opposite Marlon Wayans–Atkins’ latest role shows her in a darker and sexier light.
In the OWN drama Ambitions, the Brooklyn native stars as Amara Hughes. Amara is a federal prosecutor who returns to Atlanta with her husband, Titus (Kendrick Cross) to get her marriage on track. However, what she doesn’t expect is that skeletons buried and shoved in the closet long ago–resurface. Almost as soon as she settles back into the city, Amara finds herself in the crosshairs of attorney and Atlanta’s First Lady Stephanie Carlisle (Robin Givens). Stephanie also happens to be her former college best friend and sorority sister, and the woman Titus was once in love with.
Though she’s determined to focus on fixing things with Titus, Amara can’t help but get entangled in Stephanie’s messy web of games and lies. However, she might have more than a little ammunition up her sleeve to fight fire with fire. Ahead of the midseason finale of Ambitions, STYLECASTER sat down to chat with Atkins about the jaw-dropping new series, and why she’s happy to be shedding her “good girl” persona.
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Image: OWN.