‘Abbott Elementary’ star Sheryl Lee Ralph schools Jalen Rose
nypost.comthe ABC mockumentary-style sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” about an understaffed school in Philadelphia. And in real life, she embraces an educator’s ethos.
In fact, within the first two minutes of our “Renaissance Man” interview, she corrected my arithmetic when I said she’s been in the industry for five decades.“Nearly five decades,” she fired back in a very authoritative classroom voice that will scare the lunch money out of your back pocket.
Well, her nearly five-decade career has ranged from originating the role of Deena Jones in Broadway’s “Dreamgirls” to a more recent part on “Claws.” And she agrees that her “Abbott Elementary” turn as veteran teacher Barbara has brought her into a bit of a renaissance — and with it, a whole new fan base.“Interesting that you say that, [about] new audiences … We were on set once and one of the children looked at me and they said, ‘Sheryl Lee Ralph, I have been watching you my whole life.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, thank you for those five good years,'” she joked.This newest role has earned Sheryl her first Emmy nomination — a moment that made her “lose her mind.”“All I heard was my son coming up the stairs saying, ‘Mommy, Mommy.
Did you get nominated? Did you get nominated?’ I could hardly get out yes. You hope for these things. You dream about these things,” said the author of the 2012 book “Redefining Diva: Life Lessons From the Original Dreamgirl.”It seems Barbara was tailor-made for Sheryl, who comes from a long line of educators, so her family provided fertile ground for inspiration.“My dad was an educator, broke the color line in Connecticut as a teacher, ended up in New York as a college professor.
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