Awards Daily talks to Abbott Elementary scene-stealer William Stanford Davis about what Mr. Johnson really thinks of the teachers and why his newsletters are better than Jacob’s (Chris Perfetti).
Audience love for Abbott Elementary only seems to grow and grow with each season, something William Stanford Davis, who plays the janitor Mr. Johnson, never takes for granted.
“The fans let us know every day how much they love the show,” says Davis. “Not just online, but if I’m walking around in LA, grabbing a coffee, people will come up to me and tell me how much they love the show. A lot of times I’ll get teachers who will stop me and thank me for shining a light on what we do. And to me, that’s the greatest compliment of all.”
Davis probably has the most fun role on television, getting to pop in with a quick line and retreat to the background, which he says has a lot to do with great writing.
“I’m trying to make him a real three-dimensional human being who speaks his mind. He doesn’t care about whose feelings get hurt. A lot of times he says some strange things and will put his life on the line to defend them.”
Like being a pilot during the 1970s? As an actor, Davis says it sometimes can be a challenge to keep track of all his stories.
“I hang on to the scripts because sometimes I have to go back and see if there’s a reference earlier about something I’m talking about because it comes so fast. I’ll keep the scripts around throughout the season just to see if I can connect the dots.”
I had such a fun chat with Davis about Season 3 of Abbott Elementary, including what “real recognizing real” means and whether Mr. Johnson is lonely in his downtime away from the school. Watch the video interview below!
