My worst moment: ‘Abbott Elementary’ star William Stanford Davis and his two worst enemies: His phone and his glasses

For the second season of the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” William Stanford Davis, who plays the always-surprising school janitor Mr. Johnson, has been upped from a recurring role to a regular cast member.

What did he make of the character when he first auditioned? “Mr. Johnson was a little strange!” said Davis. “I was like, wow, this guy’s a little different from me, but I’ll give it a shot, I’m an actor. He’s just so outspoken and he reminded me of my paternal grandmother, who had no filter. That’s kind of the template that I used for him, to see if I could bring some of her ‘isms’ to him.”

Davis’ first screen credit dates back to 1995 on “The Bold