Abbott Elementary is arguably one of the best sitcoms of all time , and it’s hard to imagine the Emmy-winning series without its A+ cast. This includes William Stanford Davis, who plays the eccentric and brutally honest janitor, Mr. Johnson .
While he is still one character that definitely needs more love on Abbott , we got to see him really shine in Season 3. Even though he’s certainly made a name for himself now thanks to the ABC sitcom, he recalled that he actually failed a Friends audition years ago. Davis has been in the entertainment industry since the mid-90s, coincidentally playing a janitor on The Bold and the Beautiful .
Throughout his career, he’s only had minor roles in both film and TV, and at one point, he auditioned for the NBC megahit Friends . He told The Hollywood Reporter what happened with his audition and how people didn’t think he was in the right business: Oh my God, several, man. Where to start? I auditioned for Friends, and the casting director called my agent and told him that they thought I needed to quit, that I needed to go back to doing something else.
And that’s the way it was told to me. I thought they had me confused with someone else. I said, ‘My audition couldn’t have been as bad as the one they’re describing.
’ Getting that kind of feedback is not easy, especially when you think you did a good job. Friends had many guest stars and it's certainly possible that even more well-known actors of today auditioned back then but did.