Darryl Stephens on fatherhood and finding himself on the road
The star of Noah’s Arc is back where he belongs: on screen, in the spotlight, and full stride with his chosen family.
Mark
As fans celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic series Noah’s Arc, Darryl Stephens is back where he belongs: on screen, in the spotlight, and full stride with his chosen family.
The new Noah’s Arc: The Movie, which premiered on June 20 on Paramount+ with Showtime, reunites the beloved cast, including Jensen Atwood, Rodney Chester, Doug Spearman, and Wilson Cruz. The film continues the legacy of queer storytelling with heart, drama, and a fresh dose of fabulosity. But while the film marks a significant cultural moment, Stephens himself is just as grounded in the everyday joys of family, travel, and fatherhood.
“I had a two-year-old when I shot this film. She’s about to be five,” Stephens shared, laughing about how long the project has been in post. “When you have a kid, your entire perspective shifts. You stop focusing on career and self and body and all that stuff, and it becomes: let me get your clothes ready, let me make sure you’re fed.” That perspective shift was something he brought into the movie, where Noah and Wade are preparing for fatherhood themselves. “The levels of love you discover when you have a child: how deep your well of love goes. It surprised me. I’m excited to see these characters experience that.”
While Stephens has grown alongside Noah, stepping back into the role felt both nostalgic and new.
“It was especially exciting for everybody to get together physically in the same space,” he said, reflecting on the contrast between the new film and the 2020 virtual reunion special, The Rona Chronicles. “This time around, we had beautiful sets, amazing costumes: Paramount+, Showtime, MTV… they put some money into this. It felt like an upgrade from 20 years ago.”
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Noah’s Arc: The Movie was filmed in Atlanta, but the story is set in Los Angeles. “I’ve worked in Atlanta before, but usually for two or three days at a time. To be there for a full month? I fell in love with the city,” Stephens said. “I got to see so much more of the culture and connect with Black folks in a significant way. It made me think, ‘Oh, I could live here.’”
Stephens enjoyed having the opportunity to drive around and explore Atlanta while filming. “They provided each actor with their car,” he noted, “I was driving around and learning the city on my sort of time and terms. It opened up just how beautiful Atlanta is and how cool the culture is.”
As a seasoned traveler, Stephens has filmed in cities across North America—including a memorable stretch in downtown Vancouver for the show’s second season. “The neighborhood where we lived in 2006 has changed completely. So it was exciting to re-explore new areas of Vancouver. I’ve grown to love that city.”
When he’s not on set, Stephens and his family keep things closer to home these days. “We love Istanbul, in Turkey, and Greece, all over Greece…but because of the current administration’s decision to handicap air traffic control, we’ve decided we don’t fly by plane anymore; at least for now,” he said candidly. “One place we went for spring break was Terranea in Palos Verdes, California. It was a really cool resort. Lots of pools, fun stuff for the kids. Just last weekend, we stayed in a house on Newport Beach for a birthday party. With kids, it’s about the sand, the beach, the fun.”
Traveling as a working parent brings its own set of challenges and responsibilities. “I packed pajamas, sweats for the gym; I figured most of the clothes I’d be wearing would be Noah’s clothes,” he laughed. “They gave each actor their car in Atlanta, so I was driving myself. Normally, you get driven around for work, but this time I was learning the city on my terms.”
Stephens kept it simple when it came to packing his essentials. “I use Cetaphil; just a basic cleanser and moisturizer,” he said. “Nothing too fancy.” But he did have one personal mission: “My challenge for this project was to fit into the costumes. I ate a lot of watermelon the first week. That was my plan. It worked!”
As for how he unwinds on the road? “I’ve got a playlist for my kid—music from Trolls, Sing 2, Turning Red. She’s really into the song ‘Riverdance’ from Cowboy Carter,” he said, noting that he sometimes tweaks lyrics on the fly to keep things G-rated. When he’s solo, Stephens is usually deep into an audiobook. We asked him if he had any recommendations for an airplane or summer beach read, “I just finished Sunrise on the Reaping, the new Hunger Games book, which was very good. I’ve revisited Wicked and James Baldwin’s Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone. And there’s this author, KJ Charles, who writes these gay capers set in the 1890s. They’re very British, very fun.”
Many fans have been building their summer travel plans around Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour. Without giving too much away, the film includes a few cheeky nods to Queen B. While Darryl hasn’t splurged on concert tickets this time around —“I’m not spending $800 on myself right now,” he laughed —he’s still a devoted fan. “We went to Belize last summer, and the entire time I was playing Cowboy Carter. I love her and will always love her.”
Stephens was candid as he reflected on the Noah’s Arc series and what the show meant to fans, as well as to him. I asked if he ever gets recognized at airports, and he smiled, admitting it still happens. “We were just talking about that,” he said. “TSA is always the first to recognize us.” For Darryl, the show’s reach goes far beyond casual recognition. “There were folks who felt the characters were too feminine when the show first came out,” he recalled. “But then I met this kid in Greenwich Village in 2005: gender-expansive, micro braids, little fur coat. Their name was Chocolate. They screamed, ‘Oh my God, you are me. I’ve never seen anyone like me on TV.’ It meant the world to them. And to me.”
That moment stayed with him. “It made me realize this show was more than just getting a bunch of actors on screen. The show was reaching people who needed to see themselves reflected in it. It permitted people to be soft, to be fabulous, to be exactly who they are.”
And that’s what he hopes viewers will take away from Noah’s Arc: The Movie as well. “We’re seeing a lot of our rights being taken away. But this movie is a reminder: you deserve to be here. You can be who you are, love who you love. Are these middle-aged men in the movie? We’ve been through it. And we’re still standing.”
Check out Noah’s Arc: The Movie on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME here.
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