Darryl Stephens Speaks OUT: Life After Noah

September 30, 2010 by James Hipps 

I recently had the honor and pleasure of speaking with one of the LGBT community’s hottest and most talented artist, Darryl Stephens. I have to say right up front, this was by far one my favorite interviews…ever! I found him to be extremely grounded, open and candid. He also displayed a very real sense of humility and graciousness that it far too rare these days. I can honestly say that speaking with Darryl Stephens is an experience I will cherish for a lifetime and his demeanor is one that has made me re-evaluate myself and ask myself, how can I become a better person.

Although Stephens is best known for his leading role as Noah in the LOGO TV series “Noah’s Arc“, which ran for two seasons ending in 2006 and was followed up with a full length featured film entitled “Jumping the Broom” (2008), his acting career has given him the opportunity to play a wide variety of roles in both movies and made for TV shows, including, but not limited to, “Two and a Half Men“, “Ugly Betty“, “Boy Culture” and “Another Gay Movie“.

In fact, if you tune in to ABC’s “Private Practice” tonight (10/9C) you’ll get to see him in a role that we’ve yet to see Darryl play and one he shared exclusively with gayagenda.com. (But you’ll have to read the entire post to find out!)

Acting isn’t the only thing that Stephens has been up to as of late. Aside from making appearances at gay pride events across that country and in Canada, he recently released his debut as a recording artist and yes, the man can sing! But when I asked this triple threat (he can dance his ass off too) about the direction of where he’s headed with his music career, he very humbly explained, “I don’t really have a music career, I’m not in the music industry. Rather this is just something that I’m doing to fill the void between acting” assignments. Stephens explained to me, “My music is something that’s very personal to me. I don’t have, and I’m not seeking a contract with a record label. I’m really just doing this for me.” Personally however, I would love to see Darryl bust out in the music industry. There’s something very soulful and fresh about his voice and lyrics that leaves you wanting more. I did remind him that Justin Beiber got his start from his mom posting a video of him on YouTube, which is where you can find Darrly’s musical debut (posted below) so not to be surprised if he is offered a contract. I for one wouldn’t mind taking what I could get from Stephens…musically of course!

When I asked him what the main motivator behind his work is, he answered, “The love for what I do. I’m not rich by any means monetarily speaking. But I’m extremely fortunate and wealthy in the sense that I’m blessed with being able to follow my passion and do what I love. Again, I don’t do what I do for money, I would have a regular job if that was the case, I do it because it’s my passion.”

When I asked him if this is would be the advice he has for aspiring LGBT youth who find passion in artistry, he replied, “Absolutely! You have to follow your passions in life. It’s the most important thing you can do for yourself.”

I rather hesitated to ask too much about Noah’s Arc, as I’m sure most people, including myself would rather focus on the future than reflect on the past, but I did ask if he thought there would ever be a follow up or sequel to “Jumping the Broom” to which he replied, “I don’t think it’s completely unlikely that could happen. While the show was airing, there wasn’t really anyway to monitor the viewership, but since the show ended, there’s been a continued stream of DVD sales of the series and of the movie as well, which has provided the producers with a gauge of how popular the show actually was and is.” He added, “There was a lot of speculation as to why the show ended. It didn’t have anything to do with it being too Black or some of the other rumors, it simply was a budgetary issue. Production cost were extremely high, and that holds true with the movie as well even though it was filmed in Nova Scotia in 21 days.”

Being me, I had to ask Stephen’s about his view of the current political landscape in America as it pertains to the LGBT community and I was quite surprised, impressed and pleased with his answer. Darryl stated, “We don’t win by fighting for only what we need. Yes marriage is an important issue but we need to look at the larger picture and gain a wider perspective. There are so many issues that affect not only the LGBT community but so many outside of it as well, such as health care and immigration. We really need to include those types of issues into our own and build a larger coalition supporting the greater good for all people. TV show’s like Noah’s Arch and Will & Grace have put us [the LGBT community] in the public eye and has demonstrated that we’re not anything beyond ordinary people. We now need to show that we are concerned with more than our own needs and wants. There’s so much more to be gained by generosity than there is negativity and selfishness. It’s true that you get based on what you give”.

I also asked Stephens a few questions hoping he would share a bit about his personal life and he was quick and sure with his responses, which lead me to believe that he’s very secure in who he is and what he has to offer. I started by asking what he considered to be his greatest attribute to which he simply replied, “My artistry.” Moving to the opposite side of that spectrum I followed by asking what he felt his greatest weakness was, which he answered, “I love too much,” which isn’t difficult to believe as I completely picked up that vibe from our conversation. But wanting to give Darryl the stage for my last question, I asked; If you could deliver one message for the entire world to hear, what would that be? To which he responded, “Love all ways”.

So check out the YouTube clip of Darryl Stephens new music release “Envious Moon” below and again make sure you tune in tonight to “Private Practice” tonight on ABC, where you’ll get to see Stephens take on a role he’s never portrayed before….one of a transgender woman.  When it comes to playing the role, Stephens said, “This is a character I really resonated with.  As members of the LGBT community, we really need to open our hearts and minds to the daily struggles that transgender people face.  They are an important part of our community and including them in the community is just as important for us as it is for them.”