William Jackson Harper Faces the Big Questions

On NBC’s The Good Place, now its fourth and final season, Chidi faces the ultimate question of how to save the world. It’s one of many grand, philosophical questions the comedy tries to ambitiously and charmingly tackle – questions of humanity’s inherent goodness or badness, how to save the universe, whether the universe is worth saving at all. For Chidi, played by William Jackson Harper, indecision has been his Achilles heel and the character flaw that plagues his life and relationships, ultimately landing him in the Bad Place despite his obsession with adhering to moral philosophy. And as the loopy, fast-winding series nears its end it’s up to Chidi to decide how to save the world. An indecisive, anxiety-ridden philosophy nerd is faced with the ultimate question of the universe. For William Jackson Harper, the actor portraying him, feelings of anxiety and indecision are relatable. I met with Harper and a few other writers in Rockefeller Center and the big question – for me, at least – was which direction this conversation would turn. The Good Place is a witty comedy that does its best when commenting playfully on the most non-playful of things, and Chidi is its structural center, the fulcrum on which the silly teeters with the profound. While I wanted to talk about the actor getting swole during his role – fans undoubtedly recall his sudden shirtless scene and early Easter egg comments about him being surprisingly fit— and the hilarious thirst tweets that followed him there…