Sheryl Lee Ralph, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is a widely admired veteran actress whose nearly half-century in show business has been highlighted by a best actress in a musical Tony nomination in 1982, for the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, and a best supporting actress in a comedy series Emmy win in 2022 for ABC’s ongoing Abbott Elementary, the latter of which made her that award’s first Black winner in 35 years.
Over the course of a conversation at her Los Angeles home, the 66-year-old reflected on her fast path to a career as a professional actress, and her bumpy journey to opportunities worthy of her talents; why, in 2001, she walked away from the highest-profile screen acting job she’d had up to that point, on UPN’s trailblazing comedy series Moesha, and how close she came, following some very slow years after that, to walking away from acting altogether; the fateful series of events that led to her meeting Quinta Brunson and landing the part of Barbara Howard, a kindergarten teacher, on Abbott Elementary, and how she feels about the career renaissance that she is experiencing as a result; plus much more.
