Luke Guldan Talks ‘The Good Place’ Season 2 and Eleanor’s New Soulmate [Exclusive Interview]

The Good Place is getting a new addition to the cast for Season 2!

Luke Guldan plays Chris Baker, Eleanor’s new soulmate on The Good Place Season 2. I recently had the chance to chat with Guldan about his upcoming role on The Good Place and how his bodybuilding helped him make his way to the acting world.

“I really got into the bodybuilding with hopes to transition into the acting,” Guldan said. “[The two] went hand in hand, in a sense, because of the actors that I was exposed to as a younger age.”

“Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Connery, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Bruce Lee used their skill set, which was part of their physique, to get into acting. So that was the initial catalyst that really struck me to do the bodybuilding and do it to the best of my ability — to hopefully at some point use that in order to segway into acting,” he continued.

Guldan’s bodybuilding plans paid off for him as he was named the NABBA “Mr. Teen Empire State” in 2004 and the INBF “Mr. Fitness” in 2008 and 2009.

He has also been featured in magazines such as Men’s Health, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Muscle & Fitness, and Men’s Fitness.

Since beginning his television and movie career, Guldan has appeared on shows such as Gossip Girl, Law & Order, and Blue Bloods. Now, he’s joining the upcoming season of The Good Place.

Guldan shared a bit about what we can expect from his character, Chris Baker.

“He’s not exactly a down to earth kind of guy — but a down to heaven kind of guy who’s just nice, like the guy next door,” Guldan began. “He’s trying to get used to [his new situation] while fitting in a workout and just wanting to do a good job at his new job as a soulmate. That’s the most important thing to him.”

With Guldan playing Eleanor’s new soulmate, we might assume that fans will get to see Guldan throughout the entire season, but that might not be the case.

“You will have to stick with it because there are a lot of curves that happen. You might think something is done, and it might come back or it might be done and never come back. It’s a bit of an enigma,” Guldan hinted.

Joining the cast of The Good Place has been an absolute blessing for Guldan, and he doesn’t shy away from the fact that Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are one of the main reasons why.

“It was a blessing; it was awesome. It was a surreal experience from the beginning until the present day. From the way I found out about it, the way I joined up, and the way we got going. From meeting Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, the writers, and directors. Everyone was just welcoming and great,” he gushed.

Going into the audition, Guldan had no idea what this would turn into for him. “It was surreal, because it was an offer and when I showed up I thought I was just going to be background at that point. I got off the plane, went there the next day, and I didn’t know that it was going to be a potentially recurring contention of Season 2,” Guldan recalled.

“I didn’t even have a script at that point, so every little bit of information that settled down to me was like a blessing from The Good Place gods. It was a great experience, and everyone was awesome.”

While I did my best to get the juicy details out of him, Guldan couldn’t give away too much about the season. He did, however, offer some hints about what fans will get to see between his character and Eleanor.

“They do so many activities. We see them together, and there’s a little bit more of a reveal with Ted Danson’s character and Chris as well,” he said.

As for what it’s like working with Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, Guldan said it was almost like magic.

“I’ve been using this analogy — when you’re watching a magician work, even if you’re around them quite a bit, unless they dissect it for you, you might not really understand or know it. You can just know that it’s good,” he said.

“So, you just hope that there’s this mystic thing that happens as you watch the magic — that it just wears off on you or you just learn by being around them a bit. That was the big takeaway: sit back, relax, enjoy the ride, and hope you learn a little bit.”

“It was just great to be around them,” Guldan continued. “It elevates you because of their energy. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are really carrying the show, and that’s a lot of pressure. The craft of the acting aside, it’s a lot of pressure to hold a show, so they were just so nice and welcoming to everybody.”

He especially enjoyed the chance to see Ted Danson at work. “He’s just so cool behind the camera, just his constant professional self,” Guldan said. “It was fascinating for me to see a master craftsman going on effortlessly.”

Guldan shared someone else he’d love to work with in the future if ever given the chance.

“I would love to work with the Duplass Brothers. They are doing so much great work,” he said. “Anything to get on a project with them and see what they’re doing; to learn a little bit about what it’s like to be on a project that they’re working on. It would be awesome to get involved with people that are at that level.”

Be sure to catch Luke Guldan this season on The Good Place, which returns for a special one-hour premiere tonight at 10/9c on NBC.

*Featured image credit: Richard Gerst

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