'Abbott Elementary' star Sheryl Lee Ralph says she could've seen herself playing Principal Coleman
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Kirsten Acuna
Feb 23, 2023, 08:48 IST
Sheryl Lee Ralph plays Barbara Howard and Janelle James (right) plays Ava Coleman on "Abbott Elementary."ABC/Christopher Willard,
Sheryl Lee Ralph won a best supporting Emmy for playing Barbara on "Abbott Elementary."
The star originally wanted to play Ava Coleman.
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"Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph may have won a best supporting Emmy for her role as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on the series, but she told Insider she still would've loved a chance to play another character on ABC's hit show: principal Ava Coleman.
"Oh hell yes I could've seen myself as a principal," Ralph told Insider recently while promoting a partnership with Microban 24. "It would've been a wonderful departure from what people saw from me."
But that wasn't the role Brunson, who also plays Janine on the series, envisioned for Ralph.
"Sometimes we must be thankful for where God places us because when I asked Quinta to give me a shot at Ava, she said, 'Absolutely not,'" Ralph told Insider, adding that Brunson told her of Barbara, "'We need a queen for this show. And you are that queen.'"
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Barbara, a no-nonsense, religious woman, is the complete opposite of Ava.
The role of Ava, meanwhile, wound up going to comedian Janelle James ("Tuca & Bertie") who also earned an Emmy nod for her role.
Ralph told Insider everything turned out the way it was supposed to in the end.
"I am so thankful that I didn't think twice about it, that I listened to her," Ralph said of Brunson's instincts. "Look where it has landed me. I'm so thankful."
"Abbott Elementary" is currently in its second season on ABC. New episodes air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
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