Abbott Elementary Star Was Told No One Wants to See Her Kiss Tom Cruise
Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph recalls the time a casting director dismissed the idea of her kissing Tom Cruise. Ralph plays Barbara Howard, a veteran educator, in the ABC sitcom which premiered back in December 2020. Created by Quinta Brunson, who also leads the series, Abbott Elementary is told in a mockumentary style, focusing on a group of teachers – and a self-obsessed principal – doing their jobs despite being severely underfunded and lacking in important resources and supplies. In addition to Brunson and Ralph, the show also stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, and Chris Perfetti.
Since its debut, Abbott Elementary has built up to be a huge hit for ABC. It was the network’s first comedy to quadruple its ratings. After 35 days, the show’s premiere rose from 2.79 million viewers to more than 7 million viewers. It also rose in the key 18-49 demographic, beginning at a 0.6 rating and jumping up to 2.4. And since then, it has emerged that the series scoredABC’s highest ratings since the Modern Family finale.
Related: Abbott Elementary Is Reviving The TV Mockumentary (By Improving It)
In an interview on The View, Ralph reflected on her recent success and reflected on when she first made the jump from Broadway to Hollywood. The actress recounted a particularly bizarre encounter with a casting director who indicated that it would be difficult to cast her because, for example, the director believed that no one would want to see a Black woman kissing Tom Cruise in a movie. You can read Ralph’s quote, via EW, below.
“When I left Broadway, going to Hollywood, I had a memorable audition with a big casting director who looked at me and said, ‘Everybody knows you’re a beautiful, talented Black
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