Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams made his directorial debut in the latest episode of the hit ABC sitcom.
After playing fan-favorite character Gregory Eddie for four seasons so far, he became the first cast member to step behind the camera and direct his co-stars. Getting an opportunity to direct an episode of the series was a long time coming for the Emmy-nominated actor.
Tyler James Williams Explains His Decision to Direct Abbott Elementary Episode 413
The recently aired episode 13 of Abbott Elementary season 4 titled "The Science Fair" marked Williams' directorial debut.
Following the airing of the episode, the Emmy-nominated actor opened up about his decision to finally step behind the camera after four seasons of starring in the hit series.
Williams explained that he's long been interested in directing an episode that all started when he was a child actor in Everybody Hates Chris.
"It’s something I’ve been thinking about and kicking around since I was a child, really," the Emmy nominee said.
"I think the first time I got interested in directing is when we did Everybody Hates Chris and Jerry Levine, who was our producing director, would just talk shots with me, and would let me look behind the camera and see how things worked and really educated me on the process, not from the perspective of a child, but from the perspective of an artist. That’s where it piqued my interest."
He continued, "But I think I was waiting for a perfect world scenario to do my first episode of TV, and there’s a really special glue that’s at Abbott Elementary. We just speak symbiotically with one another. All the departments work really well together, and then particularly myself and camera department work really well together."
When Williams told showrunner/star Quinta Brunson that he was interested in directing an episode, she brought him to executive producer/director Randall Einhorn to mentor him.
What Happened in Abbott Elementary Episode 413?
With Williams stepping behind the camera for the episode, Gregory didn't have a lot of screen time and the story focused on the other main characters of the series.
In the latest episode, the teachers' competitive sides were put to the test as they supervised the kids for the science fair projects.
Meanwhile, Ava's dad Frank (played by returning guest star Keith David) crossed paths with his daughter as he submitted his funding for the science fair.
The episode ended with the students expressing their disdain over their teachers' competitiveness and critiquing of each other.
What do you think of Williams' directorial work on the latest episode? Let us know in the comments!
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