William Jackson Harper

30th April 2021

William Jackson Harper won the hearts of fans as the sweet philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on NBC’s “The Good Place.” The role helped jump start his career and earned him a handful of award nominations including an Emmy nod. In 2019, he also starred in the critically acclaimed horror film “Midsommar.” His latest project is a leading role alongside Aya Cash in the romantic comedy “We Broke Up.” He’s also set to appear in the upcoming Amazon series “The Underground Railroad,” which is directed by Barry Jenkins. He joins guest host Linda Holmes of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour to talk about his new film and upcoming projects, “The Good Place,” some of the TV shows he’s been binging and a new hobby he’s picked up during the pandemic. Plus, they’ll chat about his love for scary movies and dive into some of his favorite horror films and thrillers.

Episode notes

William Jackson Harper in a suit and tie

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

William Jackson Harper on The Good Place and his new film We Broke Up

William Jackson Harper won the hearts of fans as the sweet philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on NBC’s The Good Place. The series went on for four seasons and got him a handful of award nominations, including an Emmy nod. Then in 2019, he starred as Josh in the critically acclaimed horror movie Midsommar.  

These days, he’s got even more on his plate. He’s working on a couple of upcoming projects including the new Amazon series The Underground Railroad. The show is directed by Barry Jenkins, who made Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, and is set to premiere in mid-May.     

He also stars alongside Aya Cash in the new romantic comedy We Broke Up. In the film, Doug (Harper) and his longtime girlfriend Lori (Cash) split up just days before Lori’s younger sister’s big destination wedding. To avoid showing up alone and stealing the spotlight away from her sister’s big day, Lori and Doug decide to attend the wedding and pretend they’re still a couple for the weekend.

William Jackson Harper joins guest host Linda Holmes of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour to talk about his new film and upcoming projects, The Good Place, some of the TV shows he’s been binging and a new hobby he’s picked up during the pandemic. Plus, they’ll chat about his love for scary movies and dive into some of his favorite horror films and thrillers.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Guests

  • William Jackson Harper

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.

Get in touch with the show

People

Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

How to listen

Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!

Share this show

New? Start here...

Liked William Jackson Harper? Listen to these next...

26th March 2024

22nd March 2024

19th March 2024

15th March 2024

12th March 2024