While Lisa Ann Walter isn’t actually from Philadelphia, her Abbott Elementary character Melissa Schemmenti lives and breathes the City of Brotherly Love, writes Victor Fiorillo for Philadelphia Magazine.
Prior to this past weekend’s performances at Helium Comedy Club, Walter spoke about what she loves most about Philadelphia.
When she visits Philly, it’s usually an eating tour, where she stops at a variety of places including John’s Roast Pork, Fiorella, Angelo’s, Wawa, and more.
However, when she had to prepare to play the Melissa Schemmenti character — who is from South Philadelphia — she had to do a ton of research. This includes watching videos, talking to others, and really getting into the dialect, language, and etymology of Philly talk.
Currently living in Los Angeles, Walter is leaving the door open to perhaps moving to Philly someday.
If she had to sum the city of Philadelphia up in one word, it would be “real.”
“L.A. is full of fake-nice. In Philly, people actually say, ‘She’s one of us.’ And … I believe it. They’re not people that lie. They are the truth,” Walter said.
As the product of Sicilians from Staten Island, Walter said the attitudes aren’t too far off from what you’d experience in South Philly.
Read more Lisa Ann Walter and her Abbott Elementary character in Philadelphia Magazine.
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