Janelle James On The Flamboyant Force Known as Ava on ‘Abbott Elementary’

Hearing Janelle James laugh first-hand makes your heart float. It’s hearty and genuine, and you can tell how much she loves making other people laugh. In Abbott Elementary, James is a comedy tour-de-force, delivering a character so singular and well-drawn that we light up whenever she steps into frame even when she does horrible things or doesn’t apologize for giving someone the raw truth.

Ava stumbled upon her position as a Superintendent when she discovers her predecessor having an affair. Throughout the first season of Abbott, I kept wondering what Ava might be doing with her time if she hadn’t made this discovery.

“She’s definitely going to be in sales–she has an MLN going on. I think she would have multiple hustles going until she fell into something like this. It wouldn’t matter what job it is. She’s selling leggings and influencing. It’s all about liking and subscribing. Everyone knows someone in a position that they shouldn’t be in. It’s like, ‘How did you get this job,’ you know?'”

We have a tendency to ask those who do bad things when they are going to change. Originally, I asked James if there was anything that Ava could learn from the teachers, and she rightfully reminded me that Ava doesn’t need to sacrifice her lone wolf persona for the sake of the group. We love Ava for a reason, people!

“In her speech, she does explain that she does care and she does things her way. It’s not that Ava doesn’t know how to do her job–she just doesn’t want to! People like her, but they know she’s not a likable character. Maybe people feel like they need to absolve themselves of that? People always ask me when Ava is going to be nice, and you don’t want her to be nice. Other people ask me that all the time, and I wonder why they want her to do that. They say she is their favorite character, so why do you want her to change? You don’t want her to be different. Imagine how much more annoying Janine would be if Ava didn’t exist. Everything isn’t Sesame Street.”

James appeared in and wrote for the Showtime comedy, Black Monday, and that show is another example of how the can run with well-drawn characters. James revealed that when something is good, it’s good. She didn’t have to focus on worrying about the ensemble coming together when the cast was putting in the good work.

“I never paid attention to how ensembles worked. If it’s good, it’s good. I never tried to focus on the mechanics behind it. We just got lucky, I think. Everyone is so perfectly cast. At the table reads, I didn’t have a picture of the character, but the actors all fit so perfectly. As far as what I like about working in an ensemble, not everything is on me. Isn’t that the benefit of group work? It’s not like one person is carrying the load. We’re all funny, and all the characters are so well-drawn–it just flows. From day one, we were feeling it. Everyone is on their A-game, but we’re also just having fun. It was a good energy, and I was thrilled to be outside after quarantine.”

One of the most interesting things I learned in my chat with James is how she doesn’t like to see herself on screen. Ava is the first character that I have seen (especially in a mockumentary style show) that loves the camera and wants it to love her back just as passionately. It’s not surprise that by the end of season one, we are begging for more of Ava and of James herself.

“I don’t like being on camera. I will hide behind my hair or you’ll rarely see me filming myself on social media–I’ll pull others into it. I’m pretty camera shy. When I’m doing Ava, I remember that she is the reason the cameras are there. Of course she wants to be seen and seen in a light that she has written for herself in her head. That’s what excited me about playing Ava, because she is such a flamboyant narcissist. She’s so different than who I am, so she’s a lot of fun to put on every day.”

Abbott Elementary is streaming now on Hulu.