Ive been at this since I was 19, says the actress, 66.
Thats a whole lot of years.
And she comes by her confidence honestly.
How did you get involved withAbbott Elementary?
I knew the creator, Quinta Brunson, who plays a young teacher on the show.
Shes just a genius to me.
Then I read the script and loved that it was shining a light on educators.
Why is it we dont realize that all children in America deserve a great education?
Their zip code should not determine whether they get that or not.
I said, Even if this is just a pilot, this is a pilot I want to do.
How do you think comedy works to approach a serious subject like the problems in city schools?
you could tell the audience something very, very difficult and then make them laugh about it.
After they laugh, they start to think.
Others have given flowers.
But its all a garden to me.
Q. Quinta Brunson, the showrunner, is 33 years old.
Whats it like to be led by someone that age?
For me, thats what aging looks like.
When I started as an actress, my road really wasnt there.
I had to bust rocks to create my road.
And now that road is there for my kids and other peoples kids to travel.
They might look at those broken rocks by the side of the road and say, Wait a minute.
If we melt that rock, well have four more lanes.
That doesnt mean they dont appreciate the fact that you busted those rocks.
But this is their journey, too, now.
Youve got to celebrate that.
