Tyler James Williams, Now on His Own Terms

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“They usually say, ‘Never work with your friends,’” says Tyler James Williams, “but there are exceptions to that rule.” Especially when the friend in question is Quinta Brunson—the award-winning creator behind Abbott Elementary, whom Williams met on the set of A Black Lady Sketch Show.

Abbott, which just concluded its second season on ABC, is a mockumentary-style sitcom about a group of educators at a Philadelphia public school. Williams plays Gregory Eddie, a kind and sensitive first grade teacher. The role came into his life at the perfect time—right after he finished filming The United States vs. Billie Holiday, which came out in 2021. “It felt like something shifted after that,” he recalls. “I was already being very selective [with my roles] so I didn’t want to come off that and then just jump into anything.” When Brunson came to him with the script for Abbott, it was kismet. “I couldn’t be happier that Abbott happened now and not five or 10 years ago. I know what I’m doing and I’m comfortable with my choices. If I just follow the truth and follow what I know to be real, everything will be fine.”

Williams has been acting since age four, most notably leading the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. But being that he was a child star, he didn’t take control over his career until he became a teenager. At 16, he created a 10-year-plan which served as a form of course correction. “I didn’t like where I found myself [at that time],” he says. “I didn’t like what I was being offered and what people thought I was capable of.”

Now, he feels particularly valued on Brunson’s set. “She pushes me, writing things that I’m afraid of or don’t know if I can pull off,” he says. “What I’ve learned is that working with friends, if done right, stretches you farther than anything else because they want to see you win.” And win he did. In January, Williams, 30, took home the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe in a Television Series for his portrayal of Gregory. While it was a career-defining moment, there wasn't enough time to soak it all in because Abbott was still in the middle of filming its second season. “We had work the next day,” he says. “I had a 6 A.M. call [time]. It’s hard to really take it in while it’s happening because we’re so concerned about keeping the quality of the product at a premium. If anything, not to sound ungrateful, but award season felt distracting.”

His dedication to the show and his character has been reflected back to him by its loyal audience and it has deeply resonated with and been embraced by countless viewers—especially Black men and boys. “What I love the most is the level of vulnerability in their eyes when they talk about [him],” he says. “When they say that they see something in him, I know it’s that thing that they can’t really talk about. It’s the pieces of themselves that they try to hide rather than show.” And for that, he feels a “massive sense of responsibility.” But, he assures me, it’s worth the weight. “The role model stuff is heavy, but I also think we find ourselves in a time where somebody’s gotta live radically enough to give us a path out. So, I love that.”

Williams now has a mantra that he lives by: “I’m here to be nothing other than what I am.” This adage, which came to him after much therapy and journaling, has infused his life and career with a new sense of purpose. “I find that I do my best work when I give myself permission [to be what I am]. But, obviously, through your teens and your early twenties, a lot of times you’re trying to get as far away from what you are as possible. But therapy is real and there are a lot of really great people who helped get me here, which is a much more peaceful place.”

From child star to Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee for Abbott, Williams is now redefining what success means to him. “You have to define success for yourself,” he says. “If you let Hollywood or the industry define it for you, you’ll always be chasing something. I just can’t do that. So success for me now is, ‘Do I feel good?’ And right now, I feel good.”

Hair by Vernon François for Redken; makeup by Karo Kangas for Westman Atelier; produced by Rhianna Rule.

A version of this story appears in the May 2023 issue of ELLE.

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