Sheryl Lee Ralph is mostly known now for playing the wise and kind teacher Barbara Howard in ABC’s hit show Abbott Elementary. But recently, she tried something new in her long career — playing a “head-banging rocker.” In the second season of Netflix’s Arcane, which came out last year, the Emmy-winning actress was chosen to sing “Blood, Sweat & Tears,” a powerful song for the character Ambessa.
Ambessa becomes a key player in the show’s final part, pushing forward with her plans. However, it was Ellen Thomas who acted as the tough leader Ambessa in both seasons, while Ralph only performed the theme song that introduced the character.
There are more shows being planned in the world of League of Legends, and Ralph is very open to returning. While at the Newport Beach TV Fest, where she attended for Abbott Elementary, Ralph talked to Aidan Kelley about her character, Barbara and the chance to be part of the League of Legends universe again. When asked about joining a new Arcane-style show, she didn’t hesitate.
Absolutely, I would love to do that.
she said
Ralph became really interested in Ambessa, who quickly became one of the most interesting characters. She’s strong and smart, motivated by love for her family and fear of losing control.
The song “Blood, Sweat & Tears” shows what Ambessa cares about. Ralph was amazed by how fans reacted to her singing for the role. She enjoyed the experience so much that she would gladly return to the League of Legends world in any role if asked.
It was amazing, you know, just performing that song. They heard me sing somewhere, and they were like, ‘We have to have this woman for this song.’ And I was like, ‘You really see me as a head-banging rocker?’ Because that’s sort of the vibe of the song, and they were like ‘Absolutely, absolutely!’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ then people were like, ‘She is the character.’ So it’s crazy, like you said, how just performing a song really put me in people’s minds as the character. Would I love to do it again? Absolutely!
Right now, there isn’t anything else that’s close to continuing what Arcane started. Series co-creator Christian Linke recently told Laura Adams that they’re focusing on finding the right creative people — those with strong ideas and passion — to lead new and unique projects using the champions from the game.
Arcane worked well because it told an emotional story about Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), two sisters separated by the battle between the rich city of Piltover and the struggling area of Zaun. They each ended up on very different paths because of the people around them. While other popular characters from the well-known MOBA might be used in future stories, Linke said it’s still too early to promise anything.
Arcane is just the beginning of a bigger League of Legends world on screen. Linke has shared some thoughts about what could come next after Vi and Jinx’s story ends. Future shows might focus on other places in the world of Runeterra, like Noxus, where Ambessa and her daughter Mel (Toks Olagundoye) come from. The first League show didn’t reveal much about that region, but it left clues that more stories could be told there.
With groups like the Black Rose working behind the scenes in the series and Mel showing up again in a game trailer, trying to deal with the political mess her mother left, there’s plenty of drama to explore. A trip to Noxus could be the perfect way for Sheryl Lee Ralph to appear in the League universe finally. For now, though, she’s focused on her role as a teacher in Abbott Elementary, which is preparing for Season 5. The show will also have another crossover this summer with the crew from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, kicking off its 17th season.
Source: Collider