Tyler James Williams shares hurtful thing a producer once said to him

Taylor James Williams Reflecting recently on a hurtful comment a producer made when he was the teenage star of “Everybody Hates Chris.”

in profile Wednesday Published by GQthe actor said a producer on the sitcom told him, “I’ll never see you as anyone else, and you’ll probably never work again” — a line that shocked him.

Williams, who appeared on the show from 2005 to 2009, recalled: “I was like, ‘God, you really just looked at me and said that.'” He added that while the line might It was a joke, but it still impressed him.

Williams, now a cast member on ABC’s critically acclaimed “Abbott Elementary,” said he realized “fucking fast” as a child actor that if he wasn’t careful he could be classified or see his Career ends prematurely.

“I realized at 17 that I didn’t like the way I was going,” he said. “So I decided to stop and turn around. I met a really good acting coach and I turned down everything that was offered to me.”

Williams went on to star in several TV shows, such as “The Walking Dead” and “Dear White People,” before taking on the role of Gregory Eddy on “Abbott Elementary.”

He was nominated for an Emmy for the role in 2022 and won a Golden Globe earlier this year.

period his acceptance speech In January, Williams celebrated his role as “Abbott Elementary,” a first-grade teacher in Philadelphia’s public schools struggling with a lack of money and resources.

“I pray this is a victory for Gregory Eddie, for his story and for stories like his — we can understand that his story is as important as all the other stories that have to be told here,” he said at at the ceremony.