Chris Perfetti is in high demand.
The actor, who has been involved in the entertainment industry for over a decade, stars in ABC’s critically acclaimed series Abbott Elementary as Jacob Hill, and is currently performing in the Broadway play King James, slated to end this week. King James follows the friendship between two men over the years as they bond over their appreciation for LeBron James. Perfetti has been on tour with the play since last March, and has captivated crowds from Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
During a recent interview with Theater Mania, Perfetti recalled how it was juggling his dual roles in Abbott Elementary and King James. In the June 14 discussion, the 34-year-old revealed that although he has “heard horror stories” in the past from his friends who tried to balance television and theater work, he’s enjoyed his overall experience because filming on the ABC show doesn’t take that long. Perfetti said,
“It’s great. I’ve always heard horror stories of friends who start working on a TV show but can’t do theater in their time off, and one of the many amazing things about Abbott is that we shoot very quickly. We get a lot of work done in not a lot of time. It’s sort of fate. It just worked out the first time, and it’s worked out each time, that we were done shooting by the time King James came back around.”
Further into the interview, Perfetti opened up about what it felt like returning to the New York theater scene following a brief hiatus due to his busy schedule with Abbott Elementary. The Before I Go star shared that because he doesn’t usually take too much time away from participating in Broadway productions, it didn’t “feel all that strange.” Perfetti adds that the only difference that occurred with the positive career trajectory is that he’s working a lot more.
“It doesn’t feel all that strange. I’ve never spent too much time without working on a play, usually a new play. Within the context of Abbott, I guess it feels different. I will say that I’ve never imagined that I would have years in my career where I’m working more than I’m not working. I’ve gotten very used to making use of the downtime. And this past year and the year before have been very busy!”
King James tickets are currently on sale at a discounted price, and fans can catch the last show on June 18.
