Sheryl Lee Ralph Reveals What She Thinks Her Famous Former Mentors Would Tell Her If They Were Alive Today (Exclusive)

Sheryl Lee Ralph revealed what she thinks some of her legendary mentors in show business would tell her if they were still alive today.

Ralph recently spoke to PEOPLE exclusively at the Television Academy Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. During the conversation, the multi-hyphenate star shared that she worked with some of the most iconic talents in the business over her decades-long career.

“I had some of the best mentors out there, starting with Mr. Sidney Poitier [and] my great acting teacher, Uta Hagen,” Ralph, 68, recalled.

She added, “I think about stage [actress] Virginia Capers, Tony Award winner for Raisin. [I] think about screen actress Rosalind Cash. I think about everything they poured into me to become who I’m still becoming.”

So what would these late stars of the screen and stage tell Ralph if they were still among us? “If they were alive right now, I know they’d be saying, ‘I told you. I told you,’ “ she said, adding, “And I think about it.”

The Dreamgirls star went on to reflect on her career, and marveled at how far she’s come. “I’m a TV child. I’m that kid that sat in front of that 12-inch box — it was black and white. Thank God, it wasn’t too long before it turned into color,” she said.

“But I would sit there and I’d look at that Tinker Bell come up and go around the speaker, and now here I am in the magic of television and the magic of Hollywood as we dream about it in our minds. Look where I’m standing, look at that. That’s me right here, right now,” she added.

Ralph became emotional when talking about her 2022 Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Barbara Howard in ABC’s Abbott Elementary. “You mention it, and I get a lump in my throat because I was so stunned when they called my name,” she told PEOPLE.

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The Tony-nominated performer previously opened up to PEOPLE about another major career milestone in January: getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It’s not as if they just hand these things out like candy,” she told PEOPLE at the time.

The actress then recalled a moment when another great talent predicted her future success. “One day I was on a plane, and Cicely Tyson said, ‘Many great things are going to happen to you. Many, many, many,’ ” Ralph said. “The elders have been good to me, and they would not be surprised.”