Quinta Brunson.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Quinta Brunson’sAbbott Elementarycharacter and real-life mom have something very important in common — a “teacher heart.”
“You’ll see one of them this year, a big moment this season that amazed me about my mom,” theAbbottcreator and star told PEOPLE. “And it was her ability to go the extra mile for a kid, take them in.”
Quinta Brunson in ‘Abbott Elementary.'.Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Gilles Mingasson/Disney
Brunson continued, “I remember one time a kid being in the house and I was like, ‘Why is this kid here?’ And my mom could not put her teacher heart aside to not give someone a home for a night that needed a home.”
“She wasn’t supposed to, but it’s not something she could really turn a blind eye to,” she added.
“That’s what we make things for, to be able to have a conversation with someone without having it,” she told PEOPLE. “WhenAbbottwas off the air, I was like, ‘I miss my ability to communicate with people,’ because I think thatAbbottis the best way for me to do that.”
Brunson continued, “It’s amazing to meet them because it feels affirming that the work I’m doing is … getting my heart and soul out there.”
“And I just try to have conversations with people and just remind both of us that we are just still people,” she added. “I know I make this show and it’s touched a lot of people, but we are just still human beings.”
The cast of ‘Abbott Elementary.'.Pamela Littky/Disney
Pamela Littky/Disney
And, speaking about the state of comedy today — as someone whojust took home the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series Emmyfor her work onAbbott— Brunson said she wishes more people would view the genre as an “art form.”
“Award ceremonies aren’t necessarily a reflection of how people feel about comedy. And I do wish that we valued comedy more as an art form. I’ll say that much,” she told PEOPLE.
“And I think it’s wonderful thatAbbott Elementaryis appreciated, but I wish it was a bit more valued because there are people out here that are doing work,” she noted. “I do think comedy’s harder to write than drama, and I think it should really be appreciated.”
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Abbott Elementaryairs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
