‘Abbott Elementary’ star Lisa Ann Walter brought her Philly swag to the SAG Awards
She stayed true to her character, Melissa Schemmenti. As did Sheryl Lee Ralph, to Barbara Howard.
In true Philly fashion, Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter turned Saturday’s 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards into a BYOB party.
Walter, who plays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti on the hit ABC series, took a swig from a silver flask at the start of the ceremony.
While there’s no formal host for the annual awards, Idris Elba kicked off by pointing to the ceremony’s streaming format, which limits commercial breaks and the actors’ time to walk to the cocktail bar. “For those of you who were smart to bring a flask, remember: sharing is caring,” the Concrete Cowboy (ranked 22 on The Inquirer’s 50 Best Philly Movies list) star said during the show’s opening monologue.
The camera then cuts to Barbie star Rhea Perlman and Walter, who take sips from the container.
Walter then turns to offer Abbott costar Sheryl Lee Ralph a sip. But Ralph, like her character Barbara Howard, smiled and mouthed a “No, thank you” to seal the hilarious exchange. She looks positively scandalized in a screen grab being shared on X.
“They really are their characters,” one X user wrote. The TV moment went viral on social media, with fans saying the two actors truly embody their on-screen characters.
“This is why the [Abbott Elementary] cast is perfection!!!” another user added.
At the award show, which aired live Saturday from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, Walter was up for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary.
Neither Walter or her costars won a SAG award this year, but they landed the biggest viral moment of the night. How very Philly of them!