Sheryl Lee Ralph shared a memorable experience of being mistaken for Whitney Houston by fans before the singer’s passing in 2012.
The Abbott Elementary star, now 67, reminisced about her time playing Deena Jones in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls in 1981, when some people confused her with Houston.
“There was a time after Dreamgirls [on Broadway] when I was boarding a plane, and someone greeted me with, ‘Hi, Whitney.’ I responded, ‘I’m not Whitney Houston,'” Ralph recounted in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.
She continued, describing the encounter as happening on an airplane: “As time passed, another person approached and said, ‘Oh, Ms. Houston.’ Again, I had to clarify, ‘I am not Whitney Houston.'”
“Later during the flight, the [flight attendant] came over with a bottle of wine and said, ‘I just want to express my admiration, Ms.—’ and I interjected, ‘I am not Whitney Houston!’
The attendant then apologized, saying, ‘I’m sorry. Aren’t you Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph?’ I felt so embarrassed,” Ralph recalled.
In the interview, Ralph humorously admitted that she often struggles to match names with faces, which inspired a recurring joke about her character on Abbott Elementary.
The Emmy winner has even mistaken actor Orlando Bloom and others for different famous individuals she thought were Black.
She joked, “For some reason, I see people differently than their names suggest.”
“I was convinced Orlando Bloom was a Black man. I thought he was a young, Black football player. I was certain of it. When I saw him, I thought, ‘That’s not Orlando Bloom,'” Ralph said. (Orlando Brown Jr. is an offensive tackle for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.)
Ralph also mistakenly believed that Sex and the City creator Darren Star was a “young Black influencer.”
She elaborated, “I was proud of Darren Star! Then, at one of those events, either Elton John’s or Elizabeth Taylor’s, someone said, ‘You must meet Darren Star.’ I asked, ‘Where is he?’ They pointed him out, and I said, ‘Where? That’s an older white man.'”
In addition to her role as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on the hit show, Ralph has another exciting opportunity ahead.
She will co-announce the Emmy nominations with actor Tony Hale on July 17 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards ceremony is scheduled to air on September 15.
Ralph won her first Emmy in 2022 for her performance in Abbott Elementary.
