Sheryl Lee Ralph Of 'Abbott Elementary'

Fresh Air

NPR

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.3 • 36.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

Our series of favorite interviews from 2022 kicks off with Sheryl Lee Ralph. She won an Emmy for her role as the veteran teacher Barbara Howard on the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, about an under-resourced Philly school. We talk about her long career in showbiz — from Dreamgirls on Broadway to Moesha, and how she made her own way in an industry that didn't offer many parts to Black women.

Also, film critic Justin Chang shares his list of the top 11 movies of the year.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Fresh Air, I'm Terry Gross.
0:02.5	From today until New Year's Day,
0:04.6	we have a special end of the year series for you
0:07.0	featuring some of our favorite interviews of 2022.
0:10.7	We'll start with Cheryl Lee Ralph,
0:12.3	who won an Emmy this year for her performance as a teacher
0:15.4	in the ABC comedy series, Abbot Elementary.
0:18.6	The series is about the teachers
0:20.0	in an under-resourced majority-black
0:22.1	elementary school in Philadelphia.
0:24.4	The creator of the series, Quinta Brunson,
0:26.7	plays a new, idealistic teacher
0:28.9	who's still a little clueless.
0:30.6	Ralph's character has been teaching for 30 years
0:33.3	and is the kind of teacher who with a glance
0:35.5	can get an unruly class to sit down
0:38.2	or quietly line up single file.
0:40.9	Here's how the character describes herself.
0:43.5	I'm Barbara Howard, woman of God.
0:46.2	I do my work, I go home.
0:48.3	I get my nails done every week and I love teaching.
0:53.5	Season two of Abbot Elementary resumed January 4th.
	...

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