After a shocking season finale, NBC’s The Good Place is back for season two and actor Luke Guldan is ready to see how it all unfolds. We caught up with him just hours before the September 20 premiere to talk about the show and his recent projects.
Luke Guldan can be seen in The Good Place as Kristen Bell’s new soulmate. Spoiler alert! The first season ended after Bell’s character Eleanor and her friends had their memories wiped for catching onto an afterlife scheme that sought to put them all against one another. The whole plot was very Sartre-inspired: “Hell is other people.”
Going into season two, Eleanor has just one hint that something isn’t right: a note she left for herself, pre-memory wipe, to find Chidi.
So, what does that mean? What can we expect from The Good Place‘s sophomore season? Luke Guldan has some… fairly cryptic answers for us.
So first things first: are you excited about this season of the show?
Luke Guldan: Yeah! I’m curious to see how it all comes together.
Your first appearance on The Good Place was pretty short, but you’re reprising your role in the second season. Without spoilers, what can we look forward to from this season?
LG: I haven’t really read any of the full scripts, so I really kind of only know what’s going on with my storyline. I don’t know how it all weaves together, so I’m on the ride with the audience. I think hilarity will ensue with these next couple of episodes. I think it will be really fun and unexpected — there should be some cool twists and turns.
How did it feel to come in at the end of the first season, after the reset button has hit but things under the surface were really awkward?
LG: I’m trying to remember — I don’t know if when I got the dailies, if they started it post- or pre-“snap”, so to speak. When I finally saw the episode, though, I thought they might have even cut me because it happened so fast at the end. That’s how surprised I was that it was actually there. I didn’t really know the extent of it. But it was just awesome to be thrown into the lines and in with people like Ted Danson and all.
The Good Place definitely has some darkly comedic moments and some drama – can we expect more of that in season two?
LG: I think… that’s in the eye of the beholder. It could be or it could not be. There’s some twists that happen. So. Maybe. Sure!
How is it working with Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, who are sort of legends in their own right?
LG: It’s always exciting when you have an opportunity to work with someone who’s really experienced and has a wealth of knowledge and ability. You feel automatically really into that. Some people might feel a pressure, like, “oh my gosh!” You know? But the way I saw it was just relax, breathe, listen to them. You’re gonna coast with them and it’s gonna be awesome.
What does a typical day look like on set for you?
LG: I try to get there early just because I like to get breakfast at craft services; they whip up some really good breakfast food. I like to eat, warm up, and then just be ready for anything. You never know when you’ll get called in. With [The Good Place], it was pretty fast. They had a schedule that they stuck to; it was basically get in there, do the work, get ready to rock and roll. So I just like to get there early so I can get ready to rock.
Does your preparation look different depending on the type of production you’re doing?
LG: I don’t really think about the medium so much as the role, the director, the writer. The nature of the project. With TV, the preparation is a little different for each role because each day is different. That’s just because of the timing.
You were just recently in the indie film The Broken Ones, which premiered at SOHO in June – what was that experience like?
LG: We filmed that a couple years ago and it just finally had its film premiere recently. From what I remember, it was kind of: know your lines, have an idea of the character, read the script. There’s always an element of feeling out the director and their vision and then bringing what you have to the table to fit into that.
Do you prefer acting in TV, film, or live theater? How are those experiences different?
LG: That’s so tricky. Each one really pulls out a different part of you in the sense that live theater is awesome because it’s live. You have an audience that goes on a ride with you and you can do things differently, but then when the show is done, it’s done. Nothing remains but the memories.
I like film and TV because there’s a picture. There’s something left of it. You come together with a group, usually pretty fast, and then it’s done but something remains. It’s interesting to see — especially with The Broken Ones — you’re so far removed and you’re constantly on the grind. Then you get a call that it’s been released. You see the finished product, which is awesome, but you also see everyone again and get to revisit that point of your life. You also get to revisit that point in your career and just see how far you’ve come and how things are now.
Are there any creators or performers on your bucket list of people with whom you’d like to work?
LG: There’s a couple of clichés, like people who are still in it. Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, a couple people who’ve done great stuff and worked with all the greats. Steven Spielberg. It’s like, if you can work with them and get even a little bit of their experience or knowledge then that would be… awesome.
Currently? The Duplass brothers are killing it. It would be really cool to get in on the ground floor with them and just do something really new and exciting.
Is there anything else you’d like to add, or anything you want our readers to know?
LG: The one thing that’s really come through in doing interviews and everything is this phrase… “The days don’t seem much but the years teach.” Just keep grinding it out and things will come together. Stick with it. It takes a long time to get something going. You don’t see it at the time but if you keep doing it, you’ll get there. It pays off.
Next: Dave Gibbons interview: The appeal of the Kingsman
The Good Place season two airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.