Sheryl Lee Ralph as Amy Wayne for the role of “Abbott Elementary”, Quinta Bronson

When Sherrill Lee Ralph I first read Quinta Brunson’s demo text for “Abbott ElementaryShe knew exactly what character she wanted to play: Ava Coleman, an ill-fitting school principal who seemed to only care about her own interests.

But Bronson had another idea. It was only short [saying,] “Oh, hell no!” Ralph says. She said, “We need a queen for Barbara Howard. And you’re that queen!” and I was just like, “Baby, if you put it like that, how do I say no? What else do I need to know about that? I’ll be the queen. I love him. Yes I am.” ready.'”

Janelle James ended up playing Ava, and she earned an Emmy Award nomination this year for the role. But it also turned out that using Ralph to play Barbara, the no-nonsense veteran teacher who had watched it all in Abbott Elementary, was the right move, too. Monday Night Ralph received an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.

story cover: Quinta Bronson On Winning Emmys With Sheryl Lee Ralph Why Abbott Elementary Wasn’t Ready For Best Comedy Title Yet And Changing The stakes in Season 2

“I’m on another planet,” says Ralph. diverse Tuesday morning, hours after her victory. She’s still sporting the same hairstyle from Emmy Night, including the sparkling jewelry that graced her head. The reality of television honor hit her now.

“I think I’m on planet 999,” she says. “I feel like I’m still floating in there. Like I’m having an out-of-body experience. I know something happened because the sparkle was off my face. But the response was crazy. My husband and I were at the hotel and he got up and turned on the TV. I opened my eyes. And above all, it was There’s Amy by the bed. But I can hear these reporters talking about me. I could hear myself singing as they were talking. And I said, “What happened in the last 12 hours? It all happened.”

Ralph The acceptance speech was one of the most memorable nights, where he opened the one-time Tony nomination (Dream Girls) with Dianne Reeves singing “Endangered Species.” Ralph is the second black woman to win a supporting actress in a comedy series. Jackie Harry was the first in 1987 for her role in the movie “227.”

“Jackie tweeted at me,” Ralph says. “I was like, ‘Girl, you should have just called me! Who knew it was her role in 227, that the network wanted me. I might have forgotten all about it. But she was just like, ‘No, they wanted her for the role, but I got it and I won an Emmy.'” Now it has its own property. This is correct! I got my. But I just feel like, thank you, my God. Thank you.”

Ralph’s mother is from Jamaica, and she spent a lot of time there in her youth. Ralph says she immediately heard about the celebrations in the island nation after her victory. “Jamaica lost its mind last night,” she says. “It was like I was there, for a moment, Usain Bolt. He was crazy. The former prime minister was calling me, Minister of Arts and Culture. I couldn’t answer their phone calls. But I got the texts. I mean, it was so crazy. And now when I come back for Heroes Weekend, I’ll be “The Honorable Sheryl Lee Ralph Order of Jamaica.”

diverse He spoke to Ralph and Abbott Elementary creator/star Quinta Bronson in the Warner Bros. Lotte executive dining room as they were still a little cloudy and greedy from the previous night’s Emmy celebration. Both stars not only won awards, but they immediately participated in a photoshoot This week’s edition of diverse magazine.

“Cheryl comes over and lights up our group every morning, and people who have had the day with her being so cool will be so excited that she won,” Bronson says.

However, there is no respite for either, as the cast and crew of “Abbott Elementary” are back to work with a reading table and begin production on a new episode later that day.

“Abbott doesn’t drink tea because of a fever,” Ralph says. Abbott was like, ‘We don’t care if you won an Emmy last night, there’s work today! Bring yourself here today for work! No days off, no vacation. Let’s go back to the work of making America’s new favorite TV show.'”

Ralph Amy’s win came after a busy weekend that also included being recognized by the Creative Alliance at the annual Humanity Television Awards lunch. Along with “Dream Girls” and the resulting Tony nomination, the star’s stellar career includes “Search for Tomorrow,” “It’s a Living,” “Moesha,” and a 1990 Independent Spirit Award for “To Sleep With Anger.”

But now, her “Elementary Abbott” role has earned her a new generation of fans — and an Emmy.

“[The character of] Barbara Howard was a great gift for me,” she says. “And the interesting thing about playing the role is that I didn’t think I’d see. I thought it would be around me. And I’d be there to support. And then when people started seeing things, I was like, “What the hell is going on?”

The best tendency I got in playing Barbara, Ralph says, was to “do nothing”. It’s the silent power of Barbara – a character who sometimes says it all with one look – that has made her an essential part of the show’s success.

“I was like, ‘Well, I’m a very good actress, I can do things. “It’s the strangest thing, [but] This was the absolute perfect trend,” Ralph says. “I really try to keep that in mind every time Barbara comes to life. Just drop it. Just hand it over. And many of the teachers, oh my gosh, the way they were responding to the character. They say they feel that seeing them. They feel respected.”

The hardest part of playing Barbara? “I had to embrace the jacket crews, which was a long ride,” she laughs. “I had to really get rid of the need for hair. She’s the second or third character I’ve played in the short hair style. And the pearls. She’s a ‘holding pearls’ kind of woman. I enjoy Barbara Howard’s gift.”