Tony Danza is playing another role as a “boss” in an upcoming reality TV show set to premier on A&E on Friday, where he documents the year he spent teaching at an inner-city high school in Philadelphia.
Danza, the star of “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” spent a year as a 10th grade English teacher, which is to be shown in the latest reality TV show “Teach: Tony Danza.”
The 59-year-old actor has played a wide range of roles, from Broadway actor, to talk show host, singer, dancer, and comedian.
Danza said he wanted to be a teacher before he landed his first acting gig.
“As my 60th birthday approached, I wanted a chance to do something meaningful while benefiting others,” Danza told Reuters.
“I heard President Obama’s call to service, and I talked about teaching with a TV producer friend of mine who said, ‘That might make a good show.’ But I didn’t want to do it unless the kids came first. They‘d be the priority, and I’d have a chance to live out my dream,” Danza added.
The series follows him as he teaches in an inner-city Philadelphia high school, which Danza described as “overwhelming.”
He added that it may have been one of the hardest roles he’s ever done.
“I wasn’t prepared for how hard it really was. Not just the actual work of lesson planning and grading and test preparation, but the counseling aspect,” he said. “You have to be a lot of different things to a lot of different people: a father, mother, brother, friend, social worker.”
As a teacher, Danza said he was first criticized for his attempt to go from acting to teaching, but said he felt that he ultimately won them over.
“I experienced a healthy dose of skepticism upon my arrival to the school, which is not surprising,” Danza added in the report.
“But I think that I was able to win them over after they saw my dedication and how serious I was about the project.”
Danza, the star of “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” spent a year as a 10th grade English teacher, which is to be shown in the latest reality TV show “Teach: Tony Danza.”
The 59-year-old actor has played a wide range of roles, from Broadway actor, to talk show host, singer, dancer, and comedian.
Danza said he wanted to be a teacher before he landed his first acting gig.
“As my 60th birthday approached, I wanted a chance to do something meaningful while benefiting others,” Danza told Reuters.
“I heard President Obama’s call to service, and I talked about teaching with a TV producer friend of mine who said, ‘That might make a good show.’ But I didn’t want to do it unless the kids came first. They‘d be the priority, and I’d have a chance to live out my dream,” Danza added.
The series follows him as he teaches in an inner-city Philadelphia high school, which Danza described as “overwhelming.”
He added that it may have been one of the hardest roles he’s ever done.
“I wasn’t prepared for how hard it really was. Not just the actual work of lesson planning and grading and test preparation, but the counseling aspect,” he said. “You have to be a lot of different things to a lot of different people: a father, mother, brother, friend, social worker.”
As a teacher, Danza said he was first criticized for his attempt to go from acting to teaching, but said he felt that he ultimately won them over.
“I experienced a healthy dose of skepticism upon my arrival to the school, which is not surprising,” Danza added in the report.
“But I think that I was able to win them over after they saw my dedication and how serious I was about the project.”
