It’s onerous to think about what Black homosexual storytelling in Hollywood in the present day would seem like with out “Noah’s Arc.”
Twenty years in the past, the trailblazing collection premiered on Brand TV, the primary queer-focused business cable community, providing viewers a uncommon glimpse into Black and brown homosexual life. Set in Los Angeles, “Noah’s Arc” centered on the titular screenwriter (Darryl Stephens) and his close-knit group of mates — Likelihood (Doug Spearman), Alex (Rodney Chester) and Ricky (Christian Vincent) — as they navigated life, love and their careers in a homosexual West Coast tackle “Sex and the City.”
At its core was Noah’s slow-burn romance with Wade (Jensen Atwood), whose wrestle to embrace his sexuality added much more depth to the groundbreaking present that grew to become an on the spot hit amongst viewers.
“Noah’s Arc” broke new floor when the dramedy debuted in 2005 by unabashedly tackling social topics like same-sex marriage, homophobia and HIV/AIDS consciousness at a time when genuine queer illustration — particularly of Black and brown lives — was scarce on tv. All through its two-season run, the daring queer traditional grew to become a lifeline for LGBTQ audiences of coloration, particularly these nonetheless within the closet, by carving out an affirming area in popular culture that celebrated identification, chosen household and most significantly, visibility.
Though the collection was abruptly canceled in 2007, creator Patrik-Ian Polk insists that audiences “never lost interest in us.” That enduring assist led to the 2008 TV film “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” and the 2020 reunion particular, “The Rona Chronicles.” Nonetheless, these follow-ups solely fueled followers’ need for a full-fledged “Noah’s Arc” return, as many remained desperate to reunite with the beloved crew.
Nicely, after months of teasing and anticipation, the enduring queer franchise is lastly making a comeback to have a good time its twentieth anniversary with “Noah’s Arc: The Movie,” premiering June 20 on Paramount+.
The brand new movie, written and directed by Polk, catches up with the crew as they navigate the complexities of middle-aged monogamy, parenthood and different main life transitions. Noah and Wade expect twins by way of surrogate, simply as their careers are hitting new heights. In the meantime, Alex, Likelihood and Ricky are going by means of their struggles of their very own.
With out giving freely an excessive amount of, the film is filled with tons of relationship drama, dizzying laughs and emotional twists that hit near house — a direct reflection of life’s highs and lows because the crew will get older, simply as Polk supposed.
“When I started the show 20 years ago, obviously these were characters that were in their 20s or maybe, at the oldest, 30. So, in the movie, we have to evolve with the characters,” the director explains.
As a middle-aged homosexual man himself, with a number of fellow middle-aged mates, Polk knew the following iteration of “Noah’s Arc” wanted to mirror a lived-in actuality — one which captured the pure development of maturity and the ebbs and flows that include it, notably inside a queer context.
“Because, contextually, we forget that the AIDS epidemic wiped out a huge chunk of the community,” he continues. “And so the idea of there even being middle-aged Black gay men is kind of a new thing, because we lost a whole generation that didn’t get to see middle age.”
He provides, “It was important to me to be true to these characters and see who they would be 20 years later, and the things that they’re dealing with now as older gay men. I’ve always wanted ‘Noah’s Arc’ to, on various levels, reflect real life, and that is real life.”
Followers will in all probability be shocked to see what’s occurring with the “Noah’s Arc” crew within the new film. Nonetheless, Polk says the forged — which incorporates returning stars Gregory Kieth (Alex’s husband), Jonathan Julian (Likelihood’s husband) and Wilson Cruz (Ricky’s love curiosity) — was fairly open-minded about their characters’ life adjustments.
“You know, the beautiful thing is, after all these years of being a part of the ‘Noah’s Arc’ family, I think they’ve really grown to trust my creative vision,” Polk shares. “They’re always excited to see what’s next and what kind of things they’re gonna get to do as actors. They’ve always been willing to ride with me from the beginning, and I really appreciate that.”
Past the core ensemble, Polk recruited a ton of latest (and acquainted) faces to hitch him on the most recent “Noah’s Arc” journey, comparable to Jasmine Man, TC Carson, Eva Marcille, TS Madison and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Kennedy Davenport. He additionally tapped newcomers like Ok’Hood (who performs Noah and Wade’s surrogate) and Mariyea Jackson (who portrays Alex’s trans daughter) to nurture the following crop of queer expertise.
The combo of seasoned and up-and-coming actors representing completely different components of the LGBTQ spectrum was deliberate on Polk’s half to emphasise how the brand new film is a “cultural love letter” to the neighborhood, each older and youthful generations.
“Obviously, it’s great to bring back our veterans,” he says. “But it’s wonderful to be able to bring some fresh faces in and mix them in with our cast, because ultimately, even though this is a continuation of the story and the series, I strived to create a movie that if you had never seen ‘Noah’s Arc’ before, you could come to this and enjoy it and be moved by it and get into this story. And then hopefully you go, ‘There’s more. Let me go back.’”
J. Vespa by way of Getty Photographs
Polk by no means imagined {that a} present centered on a gaggle of homosexual Black males would ever attain mainstream tv. Actually, he admits he nearly didn’t pitch “Noah’s Arc” to Hollywood, realizing that the cultural local weather on the time confirmed little curiosity in tales like his.
“No one’s going to make it,” the director remembers telling himself. “So I’m just going to do it on my own.”
That’s primarily what Polk did when he made his first function movie, “Punks,” a 2001 precursor to the “Noah’s Arc” universe and his model of a “gay ‘Waiting to Exhale.’” However years later, throughout the 2003 Black Homosexual Satisfaction Weekend in LA, to be actual, he started to marvel what was subsequent for his storytelling profession — then an concept struck him.
“This was a ballroom full of people who had come from all over the country to celebrate Black Gay Pride. These people, who have money to spend, are renting hotel rooms and flights and cars, and no one’s making programming aimed at this group,” Polk remembers of the occasion. “So literally, the idea came to me: I’m going to make a Black gay ‘Sex in the City.’”
And so, “Noah’s Arc” was born — or not less than, its earliest model.
Earlier than the present made its cable debut, Polk launched a six-minute brief on his YouTube channel titled “No Glove, No Love,” which launched Noah and Wade to the world. Within the movie, the 2 come house from a date and are about to have intercourse for the primary time when the condom breaks, thus setting the stage for the daring tales that adopted.
“I put it online and it went crazy,” Polk remembers. “So, I knew I was onto something at that point.”
So did MTV Networks, because the conglomerate reached out to Polk about “Noah’s Arc” whereas it was gearing as much as launch Brand TV. By then, Polk had already carried out a lot of the groundwork independently: raised cash, shot the pilot and scheduled screenings for the present everywhere in the nation. He simply wanted a platform keen to wager on his imaginative and prescient.
“This show that I never really expected to be on TV because I just didn’t think anyone would put it on TV,” the creator remembers of his uncertainty. “Next thing I know, there we were, on television.”
Leon Bennett by way of Getty Photographs
If Brand TV hadn’t picked up “Noah’s Arc” when it did, Polk believes “we wouldn’t be around to this day.” Whereas there have been already “lots of white gay stories in TV and film,” he says, queer Black and brown individuals nonetheless lacked that very same significant illustration onscreen. That’s the place his present really stood out — serving as an unapologetic highlight on queer males of coloration and their experiences. And regardless of the uphill battle it took to deliver “Noah’s Arc” to life, Polk felt like his relentless mission to amplify his neighborhood yielded a strong takeaway.
“There’s a movie called ‘Field of Dreams,’” the director says, “an old baseball movie, and one of the big lines from that is, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ And so, that was the lesson [for me].”
One other level of inspiration Polk references is Spike Lee’s 1986 directorial debut, “She’s Gotta Have It,” a movie he remembers watching as an adolescent.
“When I read Spike Lee’s first book, he tells the story of how he made that first movie using his grandmother’s credit card,” the man filmmaker remembers. “And his whole motto was, ‘By any means necessary.’ So that was really ingrained in my head as an aspiring independent filmmaker myself.”
“That no one’s going to give you permission to tell your story,” he continues. “No one’s necessarily even going to give you money and the opportunity to tell your story. So what are you going to do? Just go and do it. So, that’s what I did.”
Due to Polk’s brave dangers in tv, the legacy of “Noah’s Arc” continues to thrive 20 years later. Maybe most significant is that present and future generations of queer Black and brown audiences now have one other movie that may supply them consolation and affirmation — simply because the franchise has carried out for thus many since its debut.
“I can’t tell you the hundreds and hundreds of people that have told me in various ways that the show changed their life,” Polk says of the collection’ affect, noting that it has now grow to be one thing like a “rite of passage” for youthful audiences who uncover it, too.
“[People say] the show helped them come to terms with their sexuality, and their parents come together around their sexuality,” he provides. “So many people tell me they were a teenager watching, literally hiding in the closet or sitting with their finger on the last channel button in case someone walked in… Over and over, story after story from people that were so thrilled to see versions of themselves on camera.”
However filling that void for queer viewers was all the time Polk’s authentic intent in creating “Noah’s Arc.”
“It wasn’t just to see myself on screen. It was to show the community what was possible,” he shares. “To show that you could have these different kinds of careers, you could be a college professor and have a husband, and raise children. You could be a drag performer. You could be a writer.”
“It was aspirational because I felt like not ever seeing versions of yourself on screen, you don’t really get a sense of what is possible,” Polk provides. “So much of what we learn as human beings comes through pop culture. So it’s just always important for me that we be out there front and center and a part of it.”
That mission nonetheless holds robust in “Noah’s Arc: The Movie.” With the door open for an additional installment within the franchise, per the movie’s ending, Polk says he already has an “active plan” in place.
“I am ready to go. I know exactly where these characters are heading,” he says. “We just need the powers that be to get on board. So my sincere wish and hope is that people show up for the movie on Paramount+, that they watch, rewatch, and let [the streamer] know that there’s an audience for this and we want to see it.”
The director-writer has his fingers crossed that audiences will embrace a “Noah’s Arc” revival in in the present day’s time. However no matter what occurs subsequent, he’s proud to see his present’s longevity resonate with a brand new technology and stay a cultural staple so a few years later.
“I can’t wait to see how the movie travels and how people show up for it,” Polk concludes. “And hopefully, we’ll be back with more.”
“Noah’s Arc: The Movie” begins streaming on Paramount+ June 20.
