‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Chris Perfetti on Playing ‘Social Puppy’ Jacob & Trusting the Writing

Abbott Elementary has revived the network comedy scene with its fresh take on the Philadelphia public school system, delivering unforgettable characters including Chris Perfetti‘s Jacob Hill.

A teacher with an enthusiastic nature about him, Jacob is a ray of optimism among some of Abbott’s more jaded faculty as he pushes to inspire his students and foster positive relationships between his coworkers. As viewers tuned into Season 2, they saw Jacob overcome obstacles as an educator, build deeper bonds with friends like Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams), and win over colleagues Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph).

While Abbott Elementary‘s forthcoming third season may be on hold due to the writer’s strike, Perfetti is still hard at work on stage in New York performing in King James. Below, he opens up about playing “social puppy” Jacob Hill, collaborating with the show’s team, hopes for his character moving forward, and how theater has influenced his approach to roles.

(Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless)

How does it feel to be a part of something that so many people love?

Chris Perfetti: I mean, it feels just as good as ever. I feel like I’ve digested it a little bit more, and I feel like the experience of working on this show is becoming more real and less surreal, although it is overwhelming at times for sure. We’re in this kind of beautiful and terrifying place where I think of it like the engine of a boat that has been turned off, and we’re just coasting. There’s a lot going on, but we’re resting, and that feels both good and bad. I can only really speak for myself, but I know that a lot of actors get anxious when we’re not working.

I’m very fortunate to be working on this play right now that I love, but it is this weird bittersweet moment. Just in terms of how people are reacting to the show, it’s a real gift. I think it was a coping mechanism of mine to get very comfortable with things not working out and not to get too attached to things, because sometimes the things you love are very brief and sometimes the things you hate will seemingly last forever. But it feels great to get to do more of this show.

Jacob has experienced quite a bit of growth over the two seasons. How has it been for him getting to settle into his role more at the school as a friend and mentor?

It’s a joy. One of the amazing things about this project is I’m learning about him in real-time, you know? I’m obviously bringing all of the information that’s in my body to this character, but one of the remarkable things about working on a character for as long as you get to do in TV is that it needs to be ever-evolving. And, I really feel like Quinta [Brunson], and our producers, and our writers are making good on this promise to dig a little deeper to see how much a network sitcom can handle in terms of the underbelly of characterization. I think the way that they have made these teachers dynamic and fully fleshed out will only help the comedy of the show.

(Credit: ABC/Gilles Mingasson)

And so I was grateful that early on in Season 2, there was this cathartic moment with Jacob in terms of him accepting and embracing and understanding why people call him Mr. C. I just feel like that has opened up a world of possibility dramatically for where we could go with this character. I’m really grateful always for writing that is and strikes me as authentic. I think the joy of getting to play him right now is that the more we excavate why these people are the way that they are, the more we’ll be able to make fun of them.

You shot at the Franklin Institute this season. Are there any Philly locations on your filming bucket list for the show?

I mean, that’s a very long list, and I’m really excited if the continued momentum of our show would someday allow us to do some sort of gorgeous Philly montage where the teachers are taking over the streets. But, I think for me personally, going to an Eagles game would really be at the top of that list. The wild thing about our show is our designers have done such a beautiful job of striking this balance between being ambitious and being practical. Our show shoots very quickly. We shoot an episode a week, typically while we’re in production. And so, the ways that our designers have realized what is often a very large vision on the part of our writers, directors, and Quinta is beautiful. I’m really inspired by the work that they’ve done.

Do you think Jacob is just as bummed about Janine and Gregory not getting together at the end of the season as fans were? That “bro hug” was certainly needed. Also, where do you hope Jacob’s story will pick up when the show returns?

Yeah, I think one of my favorite components of this character is that Jacob feels very much like a social puppy and kind of an emotional sponge. I think he took it just as hard, if not harder [than fans], over the rollercoaster that is their relationship. In terms of where we’ll go from here, I feel an incredible amount of trust in Quinta and our writers. Typically I don’t love to know where things are going. Obviously, if there’s anything central to the character that we need to plant seeds for, I wanna be a part of that. And I will ask Quinta about that before we start. But, I feel like one of the things as an actor that I’m trying to investigate and make peace with is a sense of surrendering control as it relates to this character and as it relates to shooting our show. I feel like our show is working best when it is capturing the subtle eccentricities of human nature. And I feel like if I have too much information, I can sort of get in the way of that.

You’re currently appearing in the stage play King James. How does work in theater influence your approach to Abbott Elementary? Does it?

That’s a great question. They feel like starkly different experiences, but in terms of approaching this character and gathering what is needed to inhabit a person, I feel like that’s where their commonality is. That’s where they have a shared sort of foundation. It’s just as important for me to know what makes Jacob a person as what makes Matt a person who’s the character that I play in King James. I feel like on-stage actors are in way more control of the storytelling than they are in TV and film. And the work there becomes very much about how to make something fresh again. Whereas when we’re shooting Abbott every day, sometimes every take is completely different. I just give as much of myself as I can or as many different versions of what that moment could be that feels authentic to me, then somebody else will decide which one is right. And, on stage, I’m deciding which one is right.

I know some actors enjoy being in shows and doing screen work because it allows them time to do plays and theater. Is that the case for you, or would you be doing theater regardless?

No. Theater is very much a part of the building blocks of my creative life. I went to drama school and studied to be a theater actor, and I’ve been very lucky to work on really amazing plays on and off Broadway the last ten years that I’ve lived in New York. We started developing King James before Abbott was even a thing. And it’s never really been too long. I’ve never really gone too long without being able to do a play. And so I hope that remains my reality. It’s just I haven’t found a more potent high artistically. It’s still kind of like the tops for me. It’s the most collaborative and beautiful art form, and TV and film is a close second. So I hope it’s always like that.

Related

William Stanford Davis Picks His 'Abbott Elementary' Superlatives

What was it about Abbott Elementary that drew you in then?

I’m always attracted to writing that feels like it’s getting away with something or that it’s coming from a perspective of like, “if you don’t get what I’m putting down here, then that’s okay.” And it takes a real kind of bravery to do that. I remember when I first read the pilot of Abbott, I was like, if anybody is bold enough or smart enough to actually make that show it will be great. I thought Quinta was writing with abandon and not really caring about whether people got the jokes, which were hilarious, by the way. And writing about something that I hadn’t seen before.

I think typically, in the world of TV, there are a lot of people riffing off of something that’s worked already or taking a situation or a place that’s already been explored and just slightly tweaking that. And I just remember giggling when I read it; I remember feeling an incredible amount of jealousy at the thought of somebody else getting to do Jacob. It felt very natural. Like, I thought I could see that person in the world, and while I feel like we are very similar, you have to sort of cow to the idea that you’re gonna be playing somebody very close to you. And while I did feel like we had a lot in common, it was a new thing for me to play a character like Jacob. I often get cast as these sad, brooding, tragic characters, and Jacob is an absolute clown at times. Somebody who really has a zest and exuberance for life and a sort of infectious optimism, much like Janine. So it was feeling a real kinship with excitement about the character.