Janelle James had no desire to be a TV actress. For years, she was content building a career in stand-up, landing the occasional writing gig or minor onscreen role.
But as any good comedian knows, timing is everything. So when the chance arrived to be in the ABC comedy “Abbott Elementary” — her first regular TV role, and by most measures the show’s funniest — it helped that she was ready for something new and had already spent a decade in the trenches. Turns out, it’s easier doing TV comedy if you’re already a proven comedian.
“Half of being a comedian is knowing how to pace a joke, how to say it, so someone else could be given the same lines, and it won’t be as funny,” she said in recent interview from Brooklyn. Of course, having great writers in this case was paramount, she said; her typically improvisational style wasn’t always fit for family viewing.
“I’m not used to speaking in network TV terms yet,” she added — many of her best ad-libs were still somewhere on the cutting room floor. “Maybe next year.”
Created by and starring Quinta Brunson (“A Black Lady Sketch Show”), “Abbott Elementary” has been this season’s breakout network sitcom, a timely mockumentary-style show about a group of dedicated teachers at an overcrowded, underfunded public school in Philadelphia. Praised for both its humor and poignancy, the show was an instant success, its December premiere having drawn over 7 million viewers across all platforms (including Hulu) in the first month. Many network series face uncertain fates heading into season’s end. ABC ordered Season 2 of “Abbott” almost a month before its finale, which airs Tuesday.
The show has also made James a breakout star. Amid school closures, teacher strikes and school board fisticuffs, her character, Ava Coleman — the school’s principal and the show’s comedic foil — put a humorous face on the frustrations of millions. And Ava aligned well with James’s impish and irreverent style. Whereas Brunson’s character, Janine Teagues, is selflessly devoted to her students, Ava is gleefully incompetent, ethically challenged and has a passion for TikTok and doomsday prepping. Again with that perfect timing.
James acknowledged that she still hasn’t adjusted to being recognized on the street; as Season 1 finale approached, she seemed ready to unplug after months spent making the rounds with various press and publicity engagements. She was direct but funny, blunt but charming. Asked about her age, she joked, “What about it?” … and never answered. What neighborhood was she calling from? “Nobody needs to know where I live,” she said.
In what was meant to be a video interview, she kept the camera off — she had just woken up, she said, and she hadn’t put on any makeup yet.
“I’m a quote-unquote public figure,” she said. “But I’d just like to maintain my privacy for certain things for as long as possible.”
James talked about being Ava Coleman, about whether surviving an apocalypse would actually be a good thing and about the sources of inspiration for her character. (They’re real people, and they’re relatives.) These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
You’ve said that you weren’t trying to become an actress. What about this script appealed to you?
It was funny. I’m a comedian, so that appeals to me, and if I were to act, I didn’t necessarily want my first role to be a dramatic crying role. So I was like, ‘Oh, comedy, I can do that.’ And it was hilarious, which is which is hard for a script to be.
How would you describe Ava?
Ava is controlled chaos. Basically, she is someone who’s fashionable; she is an opportunist. She lives in a moment. This sounds like my dating profile or something. But she is funny; she’s unaware; she’s dedicated to Ava.
What do you think she brings to the show’s dynamic?
She’s someone for all the other characters to play opposite against. Everyone else has the kids and the school’s best interests at heart, and I do not. So I create the problems. Janine also creates problems — basically by caring too much. I create problems by not caring enough.
Who inspired you as you were creating this lovable villain persona?
I wasn’t necessarily thinking of a specific person. I think in the pilot, I was more calculated; when she calls the meeting to basically dress down Janine in front of everyone else, that’s a very specific type of person who does stuff like that. I was specifically thinking about a previous boss that I had who would do what I call toxic positivity, where she’s saying things with a smile on her face that are horrible. And then after that, I’m basically doing a combination of a couple of my aunts and some of myself, of course.
Do your aunts watch the show?
Do they? Do they? [Laughs.] But the thing about people like Ava is they never know when something is supposed to be them. So it’s good. They’re like, “You’re not doing me.” They would never know, you know? But yes, they do watch the show.
I think one of the most surprising things about Ava is that she’s revealed to be a doomsday prepper. Where did that come from?
That comes from our excellent writers. I mean, it lends to how chaotic she is in that she has all these interests and separate personalities that just come out of nowhere. It is like, oh, she’s a doomsday prepper; she’s into “X-Men”; she’s a clothes hound. She’s all over the place, and I like that. You never know what she’s going to say or do or what she’s into.
Do you think someone that online and disconnected from working hard would actually want to survive the apocalypse?
I feel like it’s a mix of ego — anyone who thinks they could survive the apocalypse is super egotistical. You know what I mean? As soon as she can’t get a nail appointment, she’s going to take herself out. But she maybe wants to live the first couple of days in luxury, before she gives up in her bunker. But, yeah, she doesn’t have a real idea of what the end times are. She thinks she’s going to stay in her bunker and watch “Housewives” — “Housewives” will still be on in her idea of the apocalypse — and have her beauty products and then emerge when things are over.
Would you want to survive the apocalypse?
Oh, no. Oh God, no. I’ve been to Costco and stuff. Why would I even want to live in that kind of world?
I see Ava as a scammer, and I think real-life scammers can be placed on a spectrum of “they believe what they’re doing is good” to “they’re just messing with people because they can.” Where do you think Ava falls?
She’s right in the middle. I think part of her thing is, “Hey, the school system is messed up.” She probably was a product of the same school system, so here she is — made it to principal; nothing has changed. So why not take advantage? Why not position herself in the best way with what she’s being dealt? Whereas Janine is optimistic and thinks things will change, Ava’s on the other end: Things will not change, what can I get out of it until everything falls apart?
When did you get into standup?
I’ve been in New York for almost 15 years, and I had a brief sojourn to the Midwest for about four years, and that’s where I started at a rockabilly biker club called Memphis on Main [in Champaign, Ill.]. I did an open mic there, and I truly did it just by chance. I liked it, and I just never stopped doing it. In earnest, I just caught the bug, baby!
How do you approach your stand-up versus a role like Ava?
Having someone else write for you is cake! Like I said, I didn’t want to be an actress, and I still don’t treat it in the way that a professional — I mean, I guess I am a professional actor now, but not like someone who has gone through acting school. I don’t prepare. I read it on my own, and then I go on set and I do it. But I think that comes from being a stand-up for 10 years. So it’s not like I didn’t prepare; I just prepared in a different way. I can read something and immediately know how to perform it in a way that will make people laugh.
I don’t really write my stand-up either. I used to when I first started — I’d write every word, go over it multiple times. Now, just like anything, you do it long enough, and you kind of know. If I have a thought, I know it’s funny before I even say it. I don’t necessarily sit down like, “I need to write jokes.” I try to live a lot of life so that things happen to me and that hopefully — on my knees, praying — something strikes me as funny that I can put it in my stand-up set.
What are your hopes for Ava next season?
I mean, you know, new wardrobe of course — don’t want to repeat. But I don’t really have any hopes for her because I think she’s perfect. Like, it’s all good. More of the same, or more … I don’t even want to say funnier because she’s hilarious.
More high-level high jinks — maybe she could take her scamming outside the school, or, you know, do bigger scams. More blackmail. More chaos. That’s what I hope for Ava.
What else do you hope to work on in the future?
Just more comedies. I’d like to act more. But I’m very picky about the things I involve myself in. When I took this, I told Quinta I had been waiting on her because a lot of [expletive] is corny, and I have a reputation. So I’m hoping to work on more non-corny productions. “Abbott” has a really spoiled me for working anywhere else, so it better be good.
I’m also going to be back on the road, doing stand-up, and I hope to sell out for the first time. It’s very hard, no matter how popular you are, for a female comic to sell out their dates. And this is something that comics and club owners talk about all the time. Like, it really isn’t a matter of how funny you are; people are just less likely to take a chance on an unknown female comic. So now that I’m more known, I’m hoping that people will come out and enjoy me as Janelle James as well.
