‘Abbott Elementary’s William Stanford Davis Talks Last Night’s Crossover with ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

He gave me a lot of advice, too. He said, “You need to tell them to get you a box” — he meant an apple box. Every time we’d switch scenes, they’d always ask, “You want your chair, Mr. Davis?” I always said, “No, I don’t need the chair. I just want to be ready to go.” He said, “You better get a box. Your legs are going to go out, man. You need a box.” 

We also talked about his career moves. For example, I took a class a long time ago where I heard a story about when Danny DeVito went in for Taxi. The way it was told by the teacher was that Danny DeVito went in for the audition and stood on the table and slammed the script down on the table and said, “Who wrote this shit?” and that’s what got him the gig. So I asked him, “Is that true?” He said, “Everything is true, except I didn’t stand on the table. I walked in. I threw the script down on the table and said, ‘Who wrote this shit?’ And they were laughing and they said, ‘That’s Louie.’” 

That led us into a conversation about how actors won’t take risks. Some of them want to go in and just get it perfect. He said, “It’s taking a risk. What did I have to lose? I didn’t have a job anyway, so what did I have to lose?” But they loved it and they loved him, and that’s how it all got started.

Have you taken those kinds of risks?

I have, and some of them have failed. But I was teaching for a while and I still coach some actors, and I talk to them about taking risks. I’m a member of the Actors Studio, and one of the things they always talk about is taking a risk, doing something different, doing something instinctive, not planning it. 

I did that for an audition for Grey’s Anatomy. This character was on a treadmill, and so, I got on the treadmill during my audition. The casting director said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Well, he’s on a treadmill.” She said, “Don’t do that!” and I got so intimidated that I didn’t know where I was. Those things happen, but why not? Why not take a risk? Why not try something that’s different from what you think everyone else is going to do?

Did you take any risks related to Mr. Johnson?

Yeah, when I auditioned for Abbott, it had a different name and Mr. Johnson was just a guest star. For my audition tape, there was this line about Janine’s feet. It was written as “She’s got some big feet,” and I did it one way and then another way. I told my friend who was taping, “I’m going to try one more thing,” and she kept it rolling. I said, “She got some big ass feet!” I don’t know if that got me the job, but to me, that was a risk because of the profane language.

Back to the crossover, had you seen an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia before?

I hadn’t watched it as much as some had, but I knew it. I’d auditioned for it several times. I went in for it at least five times. They told me, “You’re close, you’re close.” The casting director said, “We’re going to get something for you. They like you.” So with the crossover, I went back to their casting director and said, “I’m on the show — I’m on the show through our show.” She was so happy about it.

One thing I liked in the crossover is that Mr. Johnson seems to be the first one who is suspicious of the Sunny characters.

Mr. Johnson’s been all over the world, man. He’s been in the streets a lot. He has a nose for when something’s out of line. Plus, Mr. Johnson thinks of this school as his domain. Both he and Melissa are streetwise people, and they have a nose for something that’s out of line. That’s the way I tried to approach it — that there’s something a little shaky about those Sunny guys.

Which Abbott Elementary character do you think would most fit in at Paddy’s Pub?

Definitely Melissa — Melissa and Ava. Everyone else — not that they’re square or anything — but they live a different type of life. Melissa and Ava, and of course, Mr. Johnson, they’ve been in the streets a little bit.

Which of the Sunny characters could work at Abbott Elementary?

That’s tougher because those guys are unscrupulous. They have no morals. Dee would probably fit in the most, even though she would probably have a problem with Janine because she’s there hitting on Janine’s man.

The last question for you is, what are your real-life feelings on raccoons?

They’re tasty. 

Wait, have you actually eaten raccoon?

Yeah, I’ve eaten raccoon. I’m from Missouri, man. I went to college in mid-Missouri, and they have seasons for hunting things. They go deer hunting, they go rabbit hunting and they go raccoon hunting. I told my friend I’d never eat any raccoon, and he tricked me. He said it was roast beef, and it looked like roast beef. It was a little gamey, but the way he prepared it, he sliced it really thin and had some sauce over it. I was like, “Man, this is really great!” After I finished, he said, “You know you ate some raccoon, right?” 

I don’t think I’ve had any since, but yeah, I’ve had it, and it’s tasty.