Sheryl Lee Ralph on Playing ’Abbott Elementary’s Breakout Educator & Being ‘Blackfamous’ (Exclusive)
etonline.comSheryl Lee Ralph has been a staple of Black Hollywood since her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical The 65-year-old actress scored a Tony nomination for the musical and captured the hearts of millions, which became the norm with her every role over the last five decades.So it's no surprise that her portrayal as the velvety-voiced, no-nonsense, God-fearing Barbara Howard on ABC's mega-hit TV show, , has become a viral sensation.
And while there have been a lot of memorable roles throughout Ralph's nearly 50-year career, it all started with .«You know, just like doing when I was doing , I knew we were doing something very special.
I knew in my heart,» she told ET about playing the musical's first-ever Deena and becoming an icon of musical theater. «I knew that little Black girls would be able to look up on the stage and have an image of beauty, class, sophistication, dreams, heartache, moving-on-up affirmation.
I knew we were doing all of that.»Ralph explained that she, along with Loretta Devine, Ramona Brooks and theater director Michael Bennett, created through «improvisation» developed through workshops.«A lot of the story is about what we, the originals, put into those roles and the suggestions we made around the development of the show,» she shared. «So I knew how special it would be if it would be a hit, if it could last.
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