Adam Patla
In its fifth season Abbott Elementary feels more confident than ever. It’s a challenge for a show to maintain the same quality over the course of its run, much less improve, but Quinta Brunson‘s workplace comedy has risen to the occasion. That’s in large part due to the eclectic and vibrant ensemble she’s assembled.
In the midst of that ensemble is Chris Perfetti, who plays the lovably awkward Jacob Hill, a sixth grade teacher who is always trying to improve his school and the system they work within. For Perfetti, it was initially a surprise for him to play a role like Jacob.
“I knew immediately who he was but I was like, ‘I don’t really think that guy exists in me,'” he admits.
“I guess because I typically get cast as these darker, brooding characters, I didn’t know I could access that optimism and sort of Shakespearean clowniness that I think Quinta wrote. The line between Chris and Jacob is getting really blurry at this point and I would be so lucky to have so much of what he’s got going on.”
That “clowniness” often manifests with Perfetti’s gift for physical comedy. He embodies a broad, slapstick style reminiscent of the TV comedies of yesteryear while infusing something fresh, unique, and subtle to the bits. Perfetti’s physicality taps into something we don’t get to see on network TV very often anymore.
“First and foremost I think I can just pin it on that’s just kind of how I work,” Perfetti says. “I went to a drama school that really valued that and so that’s always been sort of a part of my DNA as an actor…like putting information in my body. Quinta’s set me up super well I feel like in the sense that the obstacles and stakes of Jacob are running so hot. He’s an incredible anxious sort of social puppy dog so that does part of the work.”
It’s become sort of a secret weapon for the writers room to work with. Perfetti continues, “The second Quinta and the writers room got a whiff of it, they’re looking for opportunities to manifest something physically all the time now. I think they know that’s just what I’m after and God forbid they put a garbage can in the scene, Jacob’s gonna probably end up in it. It’s just sort of how I make it real for me…. He’s a really great container for that energy that ends up manifesting.”
Season five feels major for Jacob as he is presented with myriad opportunities for growth. One of those opportunities comes with the return of his brother, Caleb (Tyler Perez), who eventually gets a job as Abbott’s gym teacher.
“Quinta was so smart to draw seven very different characters who can exist and play with each other in infinite numbers of combinations, but we’re also to the point now where we’re trying to create foils and other sides of the coin of each of those seven so that we just have fourteen colors to pain with,” Perfetti explains. “And Caleb is certainly that. It’s great to see Jacob be sort of, no pun intended, the straight man in this relationship because Caleb is obviously more unhinged in ways than Jacob is. It activates the characters in a new way and for me as an actor it gives me a deeper thing to play. I can’t believe I’m finding that on network TV.”
On the professional side of things, Jacob steps further outside of the classroom when he decides to run for a liaison position with the district.
“I feel like last season we got to investigate him winning a bit and running for office and seeing who he is as an educator and I think that’s a color of the show we don’t get to see very much. Obviously we get to explore when he’s in the classroom with his class quite a bit…. I think there’s a lot to milk out of where we ended at the season.”
Tapping into this side of things allows Perfetti to take Jacob to a new level. In pursuit of this position, Jacob steps into a newfound confidence and owns the qualities that make him not only perfect for this position but also a great educator in general. It’s a beautiful change of pace for a character that is often the butt of the joke.
“The story of Jacob’s arc over the last five seasons has been one of like being humbled,” Perfetti explains. “It’s simultaneously the thing that makes him hopefully funny to some people and also ridiculous to people. He shoots for the stars and very often lands on his face or like has to put his foot in his mouth. That’s not going anywhere but there was something nice this year about like this person who has often been deemed ridiculous and irresponsible to have him switch places with an even more ridiculous and irresponsible person and be like, ‘No I don’t think you’re actually qualified for this job’ or ‘You’re a terrible teacher’ or ‘I wanna do better.’ It was humbling.”
Jacob’s proclivity for relentless care is simultaneously a goldmine for comedic interactions, but also what makes him a character you really root for. He embraces enthusiasm and earnestness, something that’s diminished in the television landscape.
“As a society, as a culture, we really started to explore the anti-hero in a way that was interesting and that we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of, but we kind of did,” he says. “So I’m very happy to be a beam of light in people’s life and for our show to be that.”
As for what’s next for Jacob, Perfetti isn’t sure, but he’s open to the ride.
“…[A]nytime I think I have a good idea, our writers usually have a better one,” Perfetti says with a smile. “There’s ten experts on Jacob’s life right now and…there’s people who know me better than I know me at this point. I have complete and total trust in them to take Jacob wherever we’re gonna go next season.”
Wherever the road takes Jacob, it will surely be met with Perfetti’s comedic precision and endless warmth that’s allowed him to burrow into the hearts of audiences.
Be sure to watch all of Chris Perfetti‘s work on Abbott Elementary. You can watch the entire fifth season of Abbott Elementary on Hulu now. Be sure to check out Awards Radar’s full interview with Chris below!
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