‘Abbott Elementary’: Quinta Brunson Doesn’t Want to Do Any Other Project for a Practical Reason
The ABC comedy Abbott Elementary has introduced Quinta Brunson to a big, new audience. Brunson created the show and plays teacher Janine Teagues on it. Abbott Elementary demands Brunson’s full attention, so she is hesitant to break her focus despite the show leading to many more opportunities.
Brunson was a guest on Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast on July 19 to discuss Abbott Elementary’s Emmy nominated first season. She gave a little preview of season 2 as well, but explained why she doesn’t want to take advantage of any of the other opportunities Abbott Elementary has brought her. Abbott Elementary Season 2 premieres Sept. 21 on ABC.
After ‘Abbott Elementary,’ Hollywood wants more Quinta Brunson
Brunson has champagne problems after Abbott Elementary became a success. ABC has made the show an anchor of its Wednesday night comedy block. She also has a full second season to produce. So while she’s fielding other new offers, Brunson said she prefers to focus on Abbott Elementary.
“I really want to just focus on Abbott but there’s always the pressure to do other things, big things, things that any creator would like,” Brunson said on Little Gold Men. “That’s my dream. But I want to focus on continuing to make this a good show and I feel like if my focus is removed from the show [Abbott Elementary would suffer].”
Quinta Brunson has long-term plans for ‘Abbott Elementary’
The first hurdle for Abbott Elementary was to get a second season. The success of season 1 ensured that, but now season 2 has to deliver. Brunson is thinking long term. She wants Abbott Elementary to last many, many years. The time to ensure that happens is now.
“I look at it as we’re building an engine,” Brunson said. “I want to come with another heavy hitting season of television and then another. And then maybe I can pull away a little bit but I want to set this up so that everybody working on it can come back to work here because it’s a fun place to work.”
A place people want to work
Part of ensuring Abbott Elementary goes the distance is keeping the quality up so that viewers keep coming back. Another part is ensuring that the people who make Abbott Elementary still like making it. Brunson elaborated on what makes Abbott Elementary such a great place to work, and therefore why she wants to keep her focus on her show.
“We have good shooting hours, we have good working hours,” Brunson said. “I really appreciate all these people. I hope they can continue to work on the show for a very long time. So that’s changed. There’s a lot coming at me and a lot of me wanting to stay focused on this.”
