As soon as Janelle James read the script for the role of the cheerful, self-centered queen of chaos that is Principal Ava Coleman in “Abbott Elementary,” she got it. “I know this girl,” James remembers thinking when she read the script. “This woman is so funny. I could see her and her moves. I’ve always been interested in people who want to be famous, so that excited me, because that’s not who I am.”
But that’s not the only difference between James and her character, a fan favorite. “People are always like, ‘Oh, I wanna hang out. ’ They say with me, but they mean Ava. So when they see me, they get really excited because they think I’m on my way to a party or something fabulous, and they want to come with me. Usually, I’m going to get a donut or something boring.” She laughs often as she talks about the role that seems tailor-made for her (even though she had to audition for it four times) and her third Emmy nomination for supporting actress in a comedy.
Days after learning the good news, James has yet to update his Instagram to reflect the nomination. Ava was reportedly there before his last name was read. “Exactly. Make sure you write that down, how different we are.”
One quality they do share is confidence, but James’s was earned over 10 years of comedy. And she had no idea the impact the role — her biggest to date — would have until after filming her first scene in the pilot, when co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph told her, “You’re the revelation.” “I didn’t even know what that meant,” James says. “I thought, ‘Okay,’ and then I went home and Googled it.”
Ava is a joke-making machine, and James delivers them all with flair. “She delivers one-liners, she cracks jokes, she does it on the fly,” James says. “And then where my skill comes in, not just through the monologue and the joke, is to keep it enjoyable. That’s what I do on stage all the time, that’s what stand-ups do: we say something that pisses you off, and the next minute you’re laughing. That’s what I enjoy about it, and that’s what Ava does, too.”
Janelle James as outrageous principal Ava Coleman in “Abbott Elementary.”
(Scott Everett White / ABC)
Over the course of three seasons, the writers have incorporated more of James into her character. “Entire conversations I’ve had with the writers have ended up on the show,” she says. “I really like ‘X-Men,’ so I got to be Storm on the show, and I’m quite a nerd and have a lot of different interests, and Ava is always doing something weird. When we went on a field trip to the Field Museum in Season 2, and Ava was freaking the hell out of the kids with the aliens, I really identified with that person.”
The character has evolved over the years, too. “The thing is, Ava didn’t have to have a story arc, she could still just be the punchline,” James says, crediting creator Quinta Brunson and the writers for their new approach. “We’re definitely following the sitcom format, but we’re taking these characters to new places.”
In Season 3, Ava returns from a summer course that molded her into a true leader. But she's become so strict that her staff forces her to revert back to her old self by trapping her in the school auditorium while Juvenile's “Back That Azz Up” plays. Despite her best efforts, Ava can't deny the music. And despite appearances, that was the most difficult scene James filmed all season.
“First, the physicality — I had to run full speed, in heels, about six or seven times, and then dance. As you know, in television, you shoot three hours for 30 seconds. I was also sick, my clothes were really tight, and our camera crew was there. Even though I love them and we’ve been together all this time, to be dancing in the spotlight for so long — and also making sure it was fun — I’m not just dancing; I’m trying to convey the change from the studious Ava to the fun-loving Ava. Also how the song affects people, particularly black women. I knew that would be something important to us in general, and I made sure to honor that. I’m also very conscious that I’m on a family show. I put a lot of thought into that little dance. So I’m proud of that.”
“Meryl Streep?! Carol Burnett?! I feel so honored to be included among the icons,” says Janelle James about her Emmy nomination.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Her third Emmy nomination is incredible. The first year she was nominated, “I was kind of in a stupor, like, 'What?' Again, it was my first really big role, and I hadn't really paid attention to this aspect of the business before. And then the second year, I was like, 'Yeah, I'm working hard, thank you very much. ' And then this year, I was like, 'Wow! “I'm so happy. First, because we're definitely in the zone now, and I'm relaxed, I'm very confident in the character and what I'm doing, and then also: Meryl Streep?! Carol Burnett?! I feel super honored to be included among the icons.”
