Never Have I Ever Star Benjamin Norris Joins Abbott Elementary Season 3 and Shares Lessons He Learned From Quinta Brunson

Benjamin Norris stole our hearts as the lovable but clueless Trent Harrison in Never Have I Ever. Now the actor is transferring from Sherman Oaks to Abbott Elementary. He’ll be joining Josh Segarra and Kimia Behpoornia in recurring roles in season 3 as Manny, Emily, and Simon, a trio of Philadelphia school district representatives who want to bring a fresh perspective to the school.

Back in August of 2022, Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado spoke with the Never Have I Ever star about potentially ever finding his way to the sitcom created by his good friend Quinta Brunson. “Hopefully, we'll see, but you never know,” he told me. “We’ll see on that front if there is something that’s right for me. I would love to be in it, but that show is living and breathing on its own and it is so fantastic.”

The friends went to Temple University together. “Quinta is one of my dear friends from college. It was only a matter of when for her, not if. I always knew she was destined for great things. She’s one of the most talented people I know. She’s always known what she wanted,” he shared. “It’s really cool to have a close friend who's also one of my biggest influences. I look up to Quinta. I always have.”

One of the biggest lessons he’s taken from her is “the way she carries herself.” “People would start coming up to her on the street and I would watch the way she carried herself with these people. It doesn’t matter who they were. She always made it a point to make sure they understand, ‘Yeah, I’m in this moment with you. What’s your name? Oh, very nice to meet you,’’ he said. “She made them feel special. I carry that with me.”

Norris continued: “I've learned a lot from her. I'm so freaking proud of her. The sky is the limit with her.”

Just saying, I’m pretty sure we manifested this cameo! Catch Abbott Elementary when it returns February 7 on ABC.