Wesley Jonathan
     
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Wesley Jonathan

 


Wesley Jonathan is a veteran of such television shows as "Misery Loves Company" (1995) as Conner, "Sister, Sister" as Pico (97) & Thomas (95), "Get A Life" (1990) as Eddie and "Thea" as Riddick. He had minor roles on "NYPD Blue" (1996) as Orlando, "Smart Guy" (1997) as Tyler, "21 Jump Street," "Moesha," "Promised Land," "NewsRadio," as Kid #1 "The Parent Hood," as Snake (19991) "Baywatch," (1989) "Boy Meets World" (1995) as T.J., "Minor Adjustments" as Henry Harrison, "the Practice" (1997) as David Piper, "A Different World," as Kid (1993) "USA High" (1997) as Anthony and many others.

His film credits include the lead role in the Mario Van Peebles feature "Panther," as Little Bobby Hutton. Other roles include "High School High," Unlawful Entry," and "Just Say No."

Born October 18, 1978 in Los Angeles, Jonathan spent four years living in Germany as a youth and still speaks some German. He stands at six feet. He is the middle of three children that includes two sisters. He went to public school until his Senior year and had to finish the year being home schooled. The teachers didn't like him doing a tv series and school at the same time.

He first became interested in show business when his cousin Crystal took him with her on her acting auditions. At age nine, he asked his cousin to take him to auditions, and within six months got his first role, a small part in the television series "21 Jump Street." In addition to landing the role, he was also flown out to Vancouver, Canada, where the show was being filmed.

Wesley enjoys basketball, volleyball and swimming. He has also performed as a singer, rapper and hip-hop dancer with a group he formed with his friends.

Wesley appeared on Boston Public in 2000 and played Tyronn, a gang banger that killed a boy. He tells a teacher and the teacher is trapped between telling the truth or protecting Tyronn. Fox thought so high of him and the storyline that they sent his two episode stint to members of the Emmy board to consider the two parter for an Emmy nomination.

He is also good friends with Brandy and Kel Mitchell. He grew up with them before leaving high school.

Wesley appears on the new WB comedy What I like About You with Jennie Garth (90210)and Simon Rex (Jack & Jill). He was the only black to tryout for the role and easily won it.

He is also featured in Ebony Magazine's 24 Most Eligible Bachelors for 2002. He wants a woman that is sensitive and strong. She also has to make him laugh and not be ashamed about doing it. He is also working on releasing his own music and sunglasses for 2003. He is also in a singing group with Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys callled Third Story.

  

 

Wesley's Home Page

Mahogany Girl Interview

Wesley Notes

  1. Stands 6'0
  2. Nicked Named Nucci
  3. Part owner of a recoding studio in Nevada
  4. Last name is Waples
  5. Appeared in Loveher's How's Going to Be Video

In What I Like About You, Wesley Jonathan's character Gary is crushing so hard on Valerie (Jennie Garth) it almost hurts to watch him fumble for her attention. But don't be fooled into thinking Wesley is anything like his small screen persona. Sure, he's a romantic, but Wesley is not about to lose his cool over a girl. "I've never been a fanatic when it comes to love," he says. "I might like you, but I'm not going to be screaming and hollering."

Best way to describe my character is: "A young, innocent boy. He's not dumb, he's just innocent. But he's very likable." Watch

First met his cast mates: I was surprised when the cast got together and we did our table reading...odd ensemble at first... but we worked it out. Watch

My character mistakenly thinks that: "He is competing with Jeff [Simon Rex] for Valerie's [Jennie Garth] attention. But the truth is, there is no competition. Jeff already has the girl." Watch

My relationship with Holly (Amanda Bynes) is: "Totally platonic. As for what happens down the line, I don't know. He's still infatuated with Valerie at the moment." Watch

Jennie Garth doesn't know this but: "I had the biggest crush on her, over all the other girls on 90210. She was my favorite - the white girl who dated Dylan." Watch

From TV Guide:

WB Star Seeks Interracial Love
by Daniel R. Coleridge with Michael Ausiello

Fans of the fluffy What I Like About You  airing Fridays at 8 pm/ET on the WB  can't help but wonder: Will Holly (Amanda Bynes) ever hook up with skater boy Gary (Wesley Jonathan)? They'd be so cute together! A WB rep says "there are no plans for romance between the characters," yet Jonathan thinks there will be a love match for the teen twosome.

"Not because [the show] told us anything," he tells TV Guide Online, "but it's my experience just being in the business. You can only write about so many things for so long... Eventually, they'll probably try to move into that romance thing, and then pull it back and toy with that. That's my opinion."

An optimistic Jonathan feels anything is possible, especially considering how What I Like cast against type by selecting a black actor to play Gary. "In the [audition] breakdown, it said any ethnicity," he says. "In my opinion, it was a white role because of the way it was written out and the way the dialogue was and the character Gary  the whole description of him as a skateboarding type... In their minds, they pictured a white boy. When I tested, I was going up against four or five white boys and I was the only African-American male, so in my opinion, they originally probably wanted a white boy, but I showed them otherwise."

How did he pull that off? At the audition, he recalls: "I was wearing the Diesels, the thermals, the vintage T-shirts... I added my own flavor to it. That's what I did to get the job. I just did my thing and didn't worry about color. If everybody's mindset is 'We pictured the kid being white' and the black kid comes in and changes your mind with his performance, that just goes to show you it can be done.

"I hate to sound cocky," Jonathan grins, "but I knew I had [the role] long before the testing. Once I saw the [finalists, I thought], 'What's going to separate me from them is they're not going to do what I'm going to do. They don't know how to because it's not naturally a part of them.' They didn't have that certain flavor that I bring to the table."

Wesley Maniac


 



 
 
   
 

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