“I can’t watch film or television the same way anymore,” says Wesley Jonathan. No stranger to the rigors of maintaining momentum in Hollywood, Jonathan is quickly approaching his 16th anniversary in the entertainment business. In addition to his innate talent for manipulating the casting process, he readily admits to remaining open to the power of observation. “It’s so important to understand what you want to do and watch those who have been doing it for years. I watch television, movies and commercials, and study the work of actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, and Johnny Depp.” Simply, he states, “I understand the business and love the craft.”

This fall, Jonathan teams with Jenny Garth, Amanda Bynes, and Simon Rex for the WB’s Friday night comedy line-up. Starring as Gary, he relies on his comedy skills to bring life to his spirited character on “What I Like About You.” “Gary is an alternative, skateboarding kind of kid from New York,” he explains. “He’s Holly’s (Bynes) best friend, her road-dog, and they’re always getting into trouble together. I’ve got a crush on her older sister, Valerie (Garth), and we play the whole cat and mouse game—I worship the ground she walks on and she doesn’t know that I exist.”

Born in Walnut Creek, California, Jonathan and his family enjoyed a three-year sabbatical in Germany before finally settling in Los Angeles. After making his primetime debut on the ‘80s hit series, “21 Jump Street,” he went on to make the rounds on many a popular sitcom and drama series including “A Different World,” “Baywatch,” “Sister, Sister,” “NewsRadio,” as well as “Boston Public,” “NYPD Blue,” and “The Practice,” among others. After making his presence felt on the small screen, he took his first steps into feature film in 1995, portraying the pivotal role of Little Bobby Hutton in Mario Van Peebles’ film, "Panther". During 1997, he returned to television, landing a lead role on NBC’s Saturday-morning favorite, “City Guys,” as the ever-charming homeboy, Jamal Grant. After a five-year run, “City Guys” is currently in syndication, airing six days a week.

In addition to his day job, Wesley will star in the 2003 crime drama, "The United States of Leland", opposite Kevin Spacey, Don Cheadle, and Chris Klein. He also hopes to reprise his role as Mr. October (which also happens to be his birthday month) for the 2003 Alaye’ Calendar. Most recently, however, he has added the title of entrepreneur to his resume with the development of his upcoming eyewear line, aptly called WJ Eyewear. He happily admits, “A lot’s going on, man, a lot’s going on.”

When asked to map the course of his ideal future, Wesley Jonathan answers with a sly smile, “More film, more film, and also, more film. I like drama, I like crying, I like screaming, I like heartfelt roles. To make someone laugh is the hardest thing in the world to me. I feel more comfortable doing drama.”

 Continuing, Wesley states with conviction, “I want to conquer Denzel-type roles— "Philadelphia", "Training Day", "Remember the Titans"—stuff like that, just drama. I’m not necessarily interested in starring in big [box office] films, I just want to do good work.” Enough said.