If you're one of the millions of Americans singing the praises of ABC's Abbott Elementary, fear not, they've heard you. "We love to hear it," says Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob Hill on the Emmy-winning sitcom about teachers at a Philadelphia public school. As for the show's success, "it's everything I've dreamt of as an actor." For Perfetti, finding how to play Jacob didn't start with studying teachers. "At the end of the day, they're just human beings and teaching is their job." Now in its third season, Perfetti says you will be seeing a new side of Jacob, but not to worry, he "will by no means stop putting his foot in his mouth or tripping over his words or over furniture for that matter." The show is the definition of an ensemble. "I feel like those moments where we can just pingpong off of each other and make up something new and try and make each other laugh, those moments are sweet." And yes, "there is a blooper reel," but no matter how hard this reporter tried, Perfetti wasn't giving up who among the cast breaks the most. "They would kill me if I told you." [laughs]
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT
ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY
Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
It seems like whatever anybody does on the show, it goes viral on the internet.
We love to hear it, as the internet says. I'm doing my best to try and remain in my hermit bubble, especially while we're filming. But word gets back from Quinta [Brunson, creator and star of Abbott Elementary] that the internet is pleased. She's very plugged in as I would say like half of my cast members are. But that's amazing. I'm just so glad that we're back [after the strike]. I'm trying to spend less and less time on the internet, but I feel like words permeate and it's so nice to hear from people again. It feels like we had been away for so long.
Everyone felt the impact of the strike in the industry, but I feel like people in television felt it more immediately, just because of how quickly television is produced. That must have been an adjustment, just to stop.
We crank out the show. We work very quickly on the show, which I think is great. It kind of allows us to make it in real time. You don't have a situation where you're like six months later, "Oh, man, I wish we could have known that that was going to happen in the world." It's really a month or so between when we're making it and when it airs, so we're kind of in this cool dialogue with the world and with our audience. And in order to do that, we have to pretty much do an episode a week. So yeah, it was wild, but it was mostly wild because I feel so close to these people now. I've spent so much time now with this ensemble and with our crew that being away from them is now not the norm.
You come from theater. I would imagine the process of theater and television are similar, no?
For sure. In ways I feel like there's so much crossover and they are so similar and then there's ways that they couldn't be more different. I will say that I had been longing for the experience with an ensemble that I feel usually when I'm doing a play, I've been dying to have that experience in film and TV, and I feel like I do have that [with Abbott Elementary], which is amazing. When you're doing a play, you spend a month becoming family and figuring out what every possible moment could be. And so, it's sort of like you'd become best friends in hyperspeed and now that we've been doing this show for three years, I feel like we have that. There's a very improvisational aspect to our show, obviously, and so that reminds me of the rehearsal room. It's definitely where I feel more comfortable, for sure.
The ensemble element is so perfect and you guys do it better than anybody else on TV. There's just this energy to the scenes where you know who you are so well and how you work with everybody else. A lot of that is Quinta Brunson's brilliant writing, I spoke with her before about that, but it's also the chemistry of the cast.
It is invigorating. I mean, what you're describing, those scenes are where the show really comes alive for me the most. When the show is moving at the speed of fun, as an old drama teacher used to say to us, there's nothing better than that. And it's an opportunity for us to show every color that we have. I think the characters are very well defined. Quinta knew these people very well before we started. The fact that it's a mockumentary I feel like forces our writers and producers to just get as specific as possible about who these people are.
How did you find your version of Jacob?
I feel like I've learned more and more in this kind of work, especially when you're working on a new thing that has never existed before, particularly a pilot for network TV. And Quinta was really helpful in this regard as well. But it's just assuming that you are this person or that this person exists in you and you don't owe anybody anything in terms of performing it correctly. Especially in a mockumentary, you can't really hide from the camera. When I read this, I really didn't think Jacob and I were anything alike at all. Once you have the permission to assume that you are alike, and that this person is just you, it's just birthed in front of you. And we've made so much of the show now that I feel like I've been learning about him in real time with everybody else. It was really important to just sort of do it and not second guess that this person was far away from me. And just sort of obsessed myself with the things that I think Jacob is afraid of and desirous of and not so much worried about what it's like to be a teacher. I mean, I'm worried about what it's like to be a teacher, but you can't play a teacher. At the end of the day they're just human beings and teaching is their job.
What I love about Jacob is that he feels so self-aware of himself, but he's also kind of delusional. Constantly woke in a comical way.
I think it's such an integral part of this character and end to end you could really track this with every character in the show. It's like what is their obstacle and they all have their flaws so beautifully articulated. There's these incredible obstacles to them just existing in the world and like you said, Jacob is a heaping helping of naivete and overenthusiasm. I think in that regard I really related to that. But what's been interesting about this season is I feel like we are trying to challenge that a bit. I feel like this season we have been laughing with Jacob a little more than laughing at him. Don't get me wrong, he's not gonna overnight become a different person. We can't really 180 these characters, because that wouldn't feel real and there's parts of them that really work. [Jacob] will by no means stop putting his foot in his mouth or tripping over his words, or over furniture for that matter.
I love television, and I especially love a supporting character. They're allowed to do crazier things than the leads. I'm thinking of Sean Hayes' Jack McFarland on Will & Grace or even Laurie Metcalf as Jackie on Roseanne, and I feel like Jacob is in that league. Do you feel that?
Certainly an aspect of this character is overly supportive, particularly to Janine and Gregory who have thus far had a plotline, a trajectory that we've wanted to follow throughout the season. Jacob is very in support of that. I mean, that's where I thrive. I'm a character actor, and I love that. This ensemble is made up of very distinct musical instruments, and there are instruments that you don't hear constantly and when you switch them up and make new weird combinations—of which there are endless— it's very satisfying and when everybody is playing together it's particularly beautiful. I'm above and beyond happy.
The show has so many funny moments, but does one stand out to you that you still laugh at?
That's like picking your favorite child, should not be done. Even though you probably have a favorite, I guess for me right now—because I've already forgotten what the last episode is about—current in my mind is what we're doing in this episode. Lisa Ann Walter's character Melissa has been charged yet again with doing impressions of famous actors. I really pride myself on not breaking, and I hate to contribute to any sort of chaos or unnecessary tomfoolery on set, but it has absolutely ruined me. It's one of the funniest things ever. I don't know if it's I mean, I guarantee it will be funny to watch. I don't know if it's because I know Lisa as well as I do now, but Lisa is doing so many impressions of people on our show, and it's wow. Right now it's really anything that Sheryl Lee Ralph does when the cameras are not rolling. And then to cop out and once again say like any scene in which we are all together, that is my happy place. I feel like those moments where we can just pingpong off of each other and make up something new and try and make each other laugh, those moments are sweet.
I do love a good blooper though. It's so rare to see them on TV these days. Is there a blooper reel for everyone? How often do the do you guys break?
There is a blooper reel. I know that because we've played one at the last two wrap parties that we've had. On the whole, I will say, I am surrounded by consummate pros, so there's not a ton of breaking that's going on.
But who breaks the most?
Honestly, they would kill me if I told you. [laughs]
OK, you can tell me later. A recent episode involves AI and your students using it. Because of the way your character is, how does he respond?
Yes, AI is kind of the big talking point of this episode. I will say that Jacob lands on every side of it that you can. Once again, it is the unbridled genius of Quinta Brunson that has taken something that is so prescient and made it ridiculous and funny. And so the way that it's brought into the episode feels very real and like a conversation that could be had, but is simultaneously incredibly scary and talking about something very real and utterly silly. I'm just so glad that , once again, I feel like she has taken a way to speak about something without speaking about it. I think it's safe to say that Jacob will be for and against and for and against the use of AI in general. Personally, I don't know that I can say the same, but I'm glad to be a part of the conversation.
That kind of gets me to something that I've been thinking about with Abbott Elementary. It's so part of the cultural zeitgeist. How does it feel to be part of something that has such a connection with people?
Thank you for saying that. I have to be honest, it's rather difficult. I am by no means complaining, but it feels like a great responsibility and a great honor and that can be beautiful and terrifying. I'm very used to, as I think many artists are, creating in a bubble and certainly in theater, one of the things I love about it is either you were there or you weren't. It was there in a room live and either you caught it or you didn't. And then the actor is so much more in control in that environment. So the idea of being able to be in people's living rooms and be with them for six months out of the year to play a character for as long as I've been playing this character is a bit surreal, it hasn't really sunk in. I'm trying to just sort of keep my head down and do my work. And I feel like there will be a glorious debrief, possibly with a therapist, when the whole thing is over. But it's wonderful. I feel like the reaction that I've got has been so genuine and lovely. It takes a lot of guts, I feel like, to go up to somebody and tell them that you like what they're doing. And as artists I feel like we get very used to not hearing that. So it can be a little weird when it is happening, but it's amazing, everybody wants to feel like people are picking up what they're putting down. I feel like the longer I'm an actor, and the longer I'm in this business, I'm getting progressively better at living in the moment and realizing that this will not be forever. It's not always like this, and it's only through having an ensemble that I'm working with now that is so fabulous that you realize how rare it is. So that is a very long-winded way of saying it's incredibly humbling. And I truly mean that and it's gratifying. It's everything I've dreamt of as an actor. So I'm just trying to soak it in.
The last thing I have to ask you is your red carpet looks, because you're taking men's fashion to the next level on the red carpet. Do you enjoy that?
I really enjoy it. As many people have had, I've had a real roller coaster ride with my relationship with fashion. It has been utilitarian and I'm sure gobsmacking to some. But I think fashion is art ,and I love it. I love being able to express myself in that way. And these moments where we get to all be together on a red carpet somewhere are just absolutely insanely fun for me. We work very hard and very quickly on the show, so I feel like we're just trying to keep up with each other. So when we get to go to the Emmys, for example, and we get to turn a look, it's amazing because we're just kind of in our teacher drag all day. I know that fashion is important to all of my classmates and it's a party. I feel like I'm trying to lean into that and just not take it too seriously and have a lot of fun. But yeah, we gotta show people that we can that we can get it outside of [the show]. No shade to Jacob, but he's not the most fashionable.
