By Judy Shields
Hollywood, California (The Hollywood Times) 04/1/2023
On Saturday, April 1, 2022, PaleyFest celebrated with the cast and creatives from Abbott Elementary at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The afternoon included: Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Barbara Howard”, Tyler James Williams, “Gregory Eddie”, Lisa Ann Walter, “Melissa Schemmenti”, and William Stanford Davis, “Mr. Johnson.” Chris Perfetti, “Jacob Hill” and Janelle James, “Ava Coleman” attended virtually. Variety’s Michael Schneider moderated the panel.
The afternoon started for the media around 12:30 pm to get checked in and find our spots on the red carpet. The first to make it one the red carpet was William Stanford Davis, then Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter.
I had the opportunity to talk with Tyler James Williams and Sheryl Lee Ralph on the red carpet. Here are those two short video interviews:
Once inside the Dolby Theatre we were treated to a surprise video from showrunner/executive producer Quinta Brunson, who told us all that she was so sorry to not be there in person, but that she was hosting SNL tonight. She said how much she appreciated all her fans and how many people where watching her little show. That was cool. Not sure why I forgot to take a photo.
Also joining the panel virtually was Janelle James aka “Ava Coleman” and Chris Perfetti aka “Jacob Hill.” Janelle was a total crackup, she had us all in stitches as well as her costars! She said she was in Florida at a principals convention. The conversation between her and the panel was just hilarious, then Chris Perfetti joined in. He had some funny things to say about his character on the show and how much fun they all have together.
There were some Q&A from Paley members that were read by Michael Schneider. First one was from Alyssa. She was curious if there are any former teachers on the writing staff, as a teacher she can attest that things on the show very eerily accurate. Sherly Lee Ralph said “a lot of that comes from Quinta, she has the show thought out from A to Z, she knows exactly where these stories are going and she is very well supported by our writing staff. They are very diverse and come from all walks of life and I do believe we have an ex-teacher and of course there is inspiration of Quinta’s mother.” Tyler James Williams said “Everybody here has had a relationship with teachers and because it is a universal experience whether or not they had some experience and it is not that hard to tap into it.” Lisa Ann Walter said “the original inspiration that I remember Quinta saying this in an interview was visiting her mom, who was a Philly public school teacher and she went to go visit her mom and her mom was having an open house and that was what created the entire concept that this person came at the very end and Quinta was mad on behalf of her mom and that her mom should just leave. Her mom said no, this was the time that the person could make it in and she was going to talk with them, an inspiration for the show.”
It was great to hear how much the cast respect Quinta’s ideas for the show and how each of them had a story to tell about working with Quinta and that she is always working all day long as well as being in the show, in the writers room and Lisa said that Quinta is literally the best boss she has ever had!
Next up was Michael announcing that there was going to be a big reveal and that he wanted the room to be the first to hear about a very special guest star coming up on the April 12th episode, and the episode is entitled “Mom” and for the first time you are going to find out who is playing Janine’s mom, why don’t we have her tell you herself.
Up on the big screen appears Taraji P. Henson, the audience goes wild and we can’t even hear her at first. She was so excited to announce to everyone that she will be featured as Janine’s mom and was looking forward to being part of the show. Exciting news indeed!
Next up was a question about teachers that made a difference to each of cast. Lisa Ann talked about a teacher that stood out in her mind, whose name was Ms. Wopneck in high school that taught advanced English and she made them act out the Greek plays, like they had to hold on to the lead sitting on the floor and she wore these big Greek, and before she finished the sentence, she said “she was crazy.” That got a huge laugh. She went on to talk about another teacher in junior high and how she was her favorite teacher.
William Stanford Davis said that his aunt was his teacher and he thought he would get away with everything and the first day there she was like, NO and gave him a couple of swats. He learned a lot from her and that she was the one that inspirated him and changed his life.
Tyler James Williams said that he had two studio teachers. “When working on set you have to go shoot a scene and come back for school for about 20 minutes and go back and shoot another scene and go back to school for 20 minutes and that I was going through high school and I remember them trying to figure out how to teach this child a whole curriculum in 20 minute blocks. Somehow, against all odds those two teachers found a way to compartmentalize whole lesson plans down and they showed me how to multitask. I will never forget that and somehow they pulled it off and I graduated with a 4.0.” Huge applause!
It was a great panel full of laughter, storytelling and sharing their love for the creator of the show, Quinta Brunson with the talented cast of Abbott Elementary.
Here are some photos courtesy of The Paley Center:
PaleyFest, now in its 40th year, is the nation’s original and longest-running festival celebrating creative in television. Produced by The Paley Center for Media, this year’s festival takes place March 31 – April 4 at the DOLBY Theatre in Hollywood. This year’s celebration features today’s hottest tv shows with a special screening picked for the audience followed by a panel and audience Q&A with the stars and creators of the series. PaleyFest is open to the public and tickets are currently on sale at PaleyFest.org.
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During the year, the Paley Center produces unmatched programs for the public and industry. On the public side, our programs, such as PaleyFest, celebrate the very best of television, digital content, and interactive entertainment. On the industry side, the Paley Center serves as a think tank, convening the most influential business leaders to explore and debate the most critical issues and opportunities within the industry while also fostering a sense of community amongst peers. Through our respected PaleyImpact series, we educate and explore how media impacts culture and shapes public discourse on important societal issues.
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