Jessie's Debby Ryan Reflects on Her 'Fulfilling,' Landmark Directing Debut

Matt Webb Mitovich
Jessie's Debby Ryan Reflects on Her 'Fulfilling,' Landmark Directing Debut
Jessie's Debby Ryan Reflects on Her 'Fulfilling,' Landmark Directing Debut

For this Friday’s episode of Jessie, Debby Ryan not only starred as the titular nanny but also served as director — making her, at age 21, the youngest female to ever helm a Disney Channel project.

RELATED Disney Channel Renews Jessie for Season 4

In the above exclusive featurette, Ryan (who also is a producer on the show) reflects on the road that led to her Jessie directing debut, discusses some of the decisions one must make when shaping a sitcom, and all in all hails the experience as “the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.”

“We knew Debby would do a good job, but she far exceeded even our expectations,” Jessie creator Pamela Eells tells TVLine. “She did a fantastic job as a first-time director. She was calm, cool, collected, brought out all the comedy, and handled everything like a total pro. We were so incredibly proud of her.”

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As for the episode itself: Titled “Coffee Talk” and airing Friday at 8/7c, it finds Emma and Zuri competing to be Jessie’s VIP guest at a concert, while Bertram becomes infatuated with his new talking coffee maker. (Hey, everybody loves somebody.)

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