William Jackson Harper Didn't Expect to Break Barriers on 'The Good Place'
*By Brian Henry*
"The Good Place," NBC's beloved comedy that continually asks its characters to examine their morality while navigating the afterlife, boasts big-name cast members like Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. But it's actor William Jackson Harper, who plays the indecisive and anxiety-ridden Chidi Anagonye, who has captured fans' hearts ー and the heart of Bell's character, Eleanor Shellstrop.
According to Harper, he didn't see the romance coming ー especially not when he was reading for the role.
"I didn't know when I was auditioning that I would be in a romantic relationship with Kristen Bell's character, Eleanor. I really just sort of thought, you know, that I hadn't seen a romantic lead that looks like me on network television. I was like, why would I be the one that would break that barrier?"
Harper said the diverse cast has connected with a wide range of viewers.
"I think the world looks that way for a lot of people. Even growing up in Texas, my group of friends was very diverse. When I would turn on the TV and see all white people or all black people, that's not what my life looks like and it's never really looked like that."
Harper commended the show for handling race properly and focusing on character-driven stories.
"The fact that this is a show that really deals with deeper issues of morality and death and goodness ... That's the most salient thing. We're all just different people dealing with those issues, that just feels natural to me," he said.
Of Hollywood's latest attempts to diversify, Harper said it's essential to "take the wins where you can get them and we've had a few ー especially in terms of representation of people that we haven't seen in sort of major media pieces at any point."
"I think we have a ways to go, but at least there is a conscious effort and I appreciate that," Harper added.
As "The Good Place" prepares to wrap its third season, Harper told Cheddar that Chidi and the show's message have made a genuine impact.
"There's nothing to be lost in trying to put more good into the world, and I've just been more conscious of that since getting this role."
The season finale of "The Good Place" airs on Jan 24.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/william-jackson-harper-almost-quit-acting-before-scoring-good-place-role).
Tech apprenticeship platform Multiverse became a unicorn with a $1.7 billion valuation, after raising $220 million in a Series D round. As companies across the country face challenges in hiring and retaining tech talent, Multiverse says it's trying to offer a solution with a new way to train and hire workers that can serve as an alternative to college and corporate training. Sophie Ruddock, VP and GM North America of Multiverse, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Cheddar's Kristen Scholer caught up with all-time NBA great Shaquille O'Neal in his hometown of Newark, NJ, working with Icy Hot to repair rundown basketball courts around the country. The Hall of Famer also spoke about the current NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors and had a lot of praise for the Warrior's guard Stephen Curry. "He's the greatest shooter of all time. I had a conversation with Stephen A. [Smith], where does he rank? He's a special player. He has his own category," Shaq said.
On this episode of On The Job presented by ADP: Gemma Burgess, CEO of Ferguson Partners, explains what people are looking for in an employer, and how to convey positive work culture to potential employees; Amy Leschke-Kahle, Vice President of Performance Acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company, an ADP company, breaks down how encouraging employee engagement and empowering employee voices can benefit every workplace and busts a myth about employee engagement while working from home; Jim Huether, CEO of Hyperice, discusses Hyperice's new employee mental health initiative, known as the Workplace Alliance, with 100-plus companies to combat the ongoing mental health crisis and how they're taking a hands-on, data-driven approach to the mental health crisis.
Jim Huether, CEO of Hyperice, joins Cheddar to discuss Hyperice's new employee mental health initiative, known as the Workplace Alliance, with 100-plus companies to combat the ongoing mental health crisis and how they're taking a hands-on, data-driven approach to the mental health crisis.
