Settle Down And Clutch Your Pearls. Leighton Alexander Williams Has Arrived

It is impossible not to be inspired by Leighton Alexander Williams. Whether he moves you to tears as Carl in Morningside or makes your core hurt from laughing so much as Handsome Dave in Day Players, Williams radiates an energy that is both commanding and joyful. There wasn’t a dull moment in our interview about his latest project, Settle Down. He was in a playful mood, and his infectious energy kept me laughing the full hour.

“I have a big appetite for life. One of the best acting notes I received in class when I was young was about being present in my life. My teacher told me I was a great actor on paper, but I am a bit green in life. I was so obsessed with acting, but there is only so far you can go with that approach. You have to go out and live, that will inform your work, and it will make you a better actor.”

2025 has been one hell of a year for the ambitious actor. Morningside garnered high praise from critics and crushed it at the box office. His web series, Day Players, amassed over 40 thousand views online and has been praised for its out-of-the-box approach to comedy and character work. In March, Settle Down aired its final episode of season one and left viewers beside themselves. Williams plays Jarod, the tender-hearted, overly patient spouse of Mason, his unforgivably selfish better half. At the end of episode six, Jarod has had enough of Mason’s dishonest ways and leaves him. Fans on social media have echoed their desire for a reconciliation between to two, but for Williams, it’s not so simple.“I’m always rooting for love to win, so I am rooting for love to win between Mason and Jarod. Because Jarod doesn’t know the context of what happened with the flowers, I think it’s something they can work through, but only if Mason really makes changes and if Jarod learns to speak up sooner about what he’s going through.” 

What stands out about William as a performer is his ability to balance nuance, effortlessly shifting between roles that demand both intensity and vulnerability. Over six episodes, we watch Jarod descend into desperation and depression as he tries to get through to Mason. It’s no wonder Williams was Alexander Nunez’s first choice for the role.“I had the privilege of working with Alex and Sam Coyle on a show called Avocado Toast. I played Alex’s fastidious, homophobic boss, and we had such great chemistry on set. He also saw a film of mine called Queenie & Alpha. After watching that, he wanted to work with me. So I read the script and just thought, this is fire! Yes, I’m in.”

Though moved by the comedy and lightness of the story, Williams felt a sense of responsibility and pride when accepting the role. It’s no surprise that portrayals of black gay love on-screen are an uphill battle. In general, distancing black male queer actors from harmful storylines is a relatively new concept. Shrouded in reductive tropes that white male queer representation has been able to relieve themselves from since the mid 2000’s, has only become an opportunity for black men in recent years. Like most 2SLGBTQIA+ narratives, black gay men have been subject to decades-long humiliation rituals on-screen that have invalidated their humanity and created a bias that they are impossible to relate to. This reality is not lost on Williams.

“I felt a sense of responsibility for sure,” he says earnestly. “I really wanted to focus on the love and how two people loved each other through conflict. That’s something I didn’t see growing up. I was excited to bring Jarod to life and give him as much grace and patience as I possibly could, while still allowing him to be a human being.”

Becoming Jarod allowed him to lean into one of his career goals – being the change he wished he saw growing up. “When I was younger, I wish I had seen more shows with characters like Jarod and Mason. So when I read him on page, I immediately resonated with him; he was kind, emotionally intelligent, I don’t see a lot of black queer love in a monogamous relationship working through problems. Jarod and Mason are not lust-driven, they are relationship-driven, and that felt quite mature, even though we are in the realm of comedy.” It also allowed Williams to expand his range and step outside his comfort zone. “I have a proclivity to characters that are a bit problematic,” he laughs. “But Jarod isn’t that, it’s refreshing.” 

Settle Down has many jaw-dropping, I-can’t-believe-what-I-am-watching moments, especially when it comes to  Mason’s limitless audacity. Even Williams felt a sense of protection and frustration with his character. “Can you just ask?” He declares, as we laugh at the many ways Mason overlooks Jarod’s life.“This whole season, we don’t even see Jarod’s life outside of Mason. And Alex wrote that intentionally to emphasize how much Mason is focused on himself. Jarod must learn that patience only works for so long; if you constantly have to be the bigger person, then stop hanging around with small people.”

With all Jarod deals with, I imagined him screaming into the void while blasting Tired by Kelly Price. But Williams reminds me, his character is a romantic, and he loves his husband, his choice of song would be 1:5 by CHINCHILLA. “I love listening to a song that puts me in the state of mind I need to be in. 1:5 is a song about being in a relationship that doesn’t feel balanced. Throughout the series, Jarod just wants one thing, and that is to be seen by his partner, and I deeply relate to that as an actor. I want my work and artistry to be seen. For years, I have been overlooked, so I channelled a lot from that feeling and listening to this song when becoming Jarod.”

It’s a striking moment of honesty, one that reveals just how closely Williams artistry is tied to his own lived experience. Acting, for him, isn’t just about performance –it’s a form of visibility that has the power to change people’s minds and resolve ignorance. Although he always knew he wanted to be an actor, his purpose as one came to him through observation. “My grandma and I watched All My Children and Passions together,” he remembers fondly.“My family watched Glee together, and that was very impactful because I have a Jamaican background, and there is a certain level of homophobia in the culture and my upbringing. I saw it in my parents and the way that they spoke but, after Glee, they fell in love with Kurt Hummel’s character, and I saw a shift in openness with them. That’s how I saw the power of TV and what an actor can do.”

And that’s exactly what led me to ask the bigger questions. How does he see his career evolving? How does he feel about his success so far this year? Williams is now with a new agency and has started going out for more roles at a higher calibre. He assures me he has no desire to be put in a box.“I feel great,” he declares. “All of these roles are preparing me for elevation, for crossing over into the US market and being cast for even bigger roles. I keep reminding myself about momentum because it’s currency in this industry. I want to be an actor who is able to play a myriad of different roles. I want to be able to surprise myself with what I can do. I want to be a part of stories that are thought-provoking, that create change and entertain. If I can do two out of three or all three,” he gleams. “I would be so overjoyed. I have seen the power of great art and how it has changed my life and my family’s lives, now I intend to be a part of that change too.”

Leighton Alexander Williams speaks with the kind of clarity and confidence that doesn’t just hint at longevity–it guarantees it. He is already shifting the landscape as Jarod; like his co-stars, he has stepped into a role that marks a powerful moment in Canadian television history. One that reflects the complexity, softness, romance and relatability of black, gay love. But what is more exciting is that this is only the beginning for Williams. His vision is clear, his talent undeniable, and after spending time with him, I have no doubt: he will achieve everything he sets his heart on. And when he does, we’ll all be lucky to say we witnessed it from the start.

As our conversation draws to a close, I had to ask Williams about his hopes for the future of Settle Down, particularly when it comes to Jarod. With the possibility of a season 2 on the horizon, I was curious: What does he envision for his character’s journey, and what advice would he offer Jarod as he moves forward? “My hope is they don’t get back together right away. Maybe they see what relationships look like outside of each other and then they realize, after some time apart, they were meant for each other after all. I think that would be a great storyline for season 2.”

You can watch Season 1 of Settle Down now on OutTV on Prime Video