Tyler James Williams claims everyone hates Chris The producer said he’d ‘probably never work again’

That’s what Tyler James Williams seems to have said when a producer allegedly told him he “could never work again” after starring as a young Chris Rock on “Everybody Hates Chris” in his teenage years.

In a new interview with GQ, Williams recalled the producer telling him about his work as a young Chris: “I’ll never see you as anything else and you’ll probably never work again.”

“I was like, ‘Holy s— you really just looked at me and said that,'” Williams said. However, he noted that the comment may have been meant as a joke. But it still hit hard for the young actor.

The 30-year-old actor proved them wrong with a string of high-profile roles, including one of the most memorable characters (and deaths) on The Walking Dead and his most recent award-winning role on Abbott Elementary.

Despite his current accomplishments, Williams said it was “traumatic” growing up in front of the cameras. He was also well aware of being typecast in a sitcom after his hiatus or being forced to play teenage roles for years, so he purposely took a tough turn.

“At 17 I realized I didn’t like the road I was on. So I decided to quit and switch,” he explained. “I got a really good acting coach and turned down everything I was offered.”

When he returned to the world of acting more prominently, it was with a greater variety of roles (yes, including another inclusion on a sitcom with the short-lived “Go On”) and more complex roles on shows like “Walking Dead,” ” Criminal Minds, Whiskey Cavalier (with Dead co-star Maggie Cohan) and Dear White People.

He admitted he was reluctant to return to the sitcom world, but it was Abbott creator and star Quinta Brunson who convinced him. The role of Gregory was written just for him after they worked together on A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Williams signed on after a two-hour chat about him.

It was definitely a good decision as “Abbott Elementary” has become a critics’ favorite and ratings hit. While the show has dominated in awards circles, Williams has done fairly well himself, earning a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an NAACP Image Award, and an Emmy nomination.

Wiliams says he’s proud to portray a positive and ordinary black man on television. He said he always hated that love interest characters were “either the same kind of white male, or if he was black, he was ‘the unique other.’ The asterisk. Almost an angel that fell to earth.”

He’s proud that people see Gregory as someone they might see at the corner store or at church. He also said he’s not sure how long he’ll comfortably ride this dry train. “I hope people don’t expect me to keep that up,” he laughed. “I’ll be leaving after this is done.”