Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti on Why He Can’t Resist Making Life Harder for Jacob Hill

Chris Perfetti confesses he has something in common with the students of Abbott Elementary. He, too, cannot resist making life harder for his character at times.

I recently spoke with Perfetti, who plays beloved elementary school teacher and well-intentioned keyboard activist Jacob Hill on ABC’s hit sitcom Abbott Elementary.

When asked what storylines he gravitates towards most for Mr. Hill, the actor revealed he desires to delve into the tender parts of Jacob’s past: “I mean, I’m always sort of a glutton for punishment as it pertains to Jacob, and so I hope at some point we get to finally meet those parents that he ran away from.”

“He so clearly considers his colleagues at Abbott to be his new family, and his two best friends are now dating, and that’s so fun to play. But I always like to peel back the layers and see why people are the way they are.”

And as Season 5 of Abbott Elementary explores what life is like outside of the classroom for its teachers, Perfetti is eager to see Jacob explore more of the city he calls home.

“Truly, anytime we go to Philly — the beautiful Country of Philadelphia, as they call it — we have a great time. I think it’s so wild to be dreaming about this place, talking about this place, but for the majority of the year we’re in Los Angeles pretending that we’re in Philly,” he said with a laugh.

“When we do go to Philly, we get to capture these iconic things that you can only do in Philadelphia, and there’s this real tsunami of love anytime we’re there. So I hope we get to go back at some point soon.”

While Jacob has a very practical wardrobe for the classroom, Perfetti has rocked the red carpet with stunning colour combinations and hip trends throughout his career. 

So, the established style icon that he is, Perfetti pointed out something very interesting about Jacob’s signature style: “What I love about the way Jacob dresses on the show is he’s like, six months behind what’s happening. We’ve got him in a lot of wide-leg jeans right now, which, to be fair, I’m still rocking.”

For the actor, the juxtaposition between the cast’s fashion and their character’s is part of the fun working on this show.

“I love the sort of dichotomy between our teacher drag and then when we get to go to one of these cool things and express ourselves in another way.”

If Perfetti did have to offer Jacob fashion advice, he would look to minimize his wardrobe a bit. “I guess I wish Jacob would throw out all of his plaid shirts and puffer vests. Like we know you’re a teacher, we get it. You don’t have to dress like it,” he joked.

As Jacob wins over his fellow teachers and students with his kind heart and strong moral compass, Perfetti would like to see his character spend more time with Principal Ava Coleman.

“I think the Jacob and Ava of it all has been a really untapped pairing. We’re shooting something right now where they’re sort of in cahoots together, and Janelle is such an incredible scene partner and hilarious person. Ava has become such an iconic character now that I feel like those two people really just set each other off, and they are diametrically opposed in so many ways.”

“So, forcing them to be in the same place or want the same thing, I think, is really funny,” he said.

“Quinta [Brunson] wrote such specific people that really, if you pair up any of them, there’s a lot of potential for comedy and pathos. But right now, it’s Jacob and Ava. I think it’s just a wild relationship.”

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Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.

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