Interview: Luke Guldan of ‘The Good Place’

Luke Guldan, who can currently be seen as Chris, initially the replacement soulmate of Kristen Bell’s Eleanor in season two of The Good Place, started his career as the face of men’s health and fitness and has since made his way to the world of acting.

With experience onstage in theater productions such as The Graduate and A Streetcar Named Desire, Guldan has since transitioned into movies and TV. The Young Folks got a chance to catch up with Guldan and we chatted about his current projects, how he got his start in acting, and what we should expect from his character on this season of The Good Place!

The Young Folks: With 25 credits to your name and certainly more on the way, what is it that made you want to become an actor and how did you get started in the industry?

Luke Guldan: I knew I wanted to pursue acting once I was in high school. My high school had a bodybuilding show, so I started out doing bodybuilding and fitness competitions with the goal of eventually using that to break into the entertainment industry. When I won my bodybuilding pro card, the organization I competed with, helped get me on a cover of their fitness magazine and a feature, which lead to getting my first agents.

You’re no stranger to TV, with guest starring roles on Blue Bloods, Law and Order: SVU, and Broad City, but you also have a background in theater. How did you transition from stage to screen?

I think it was just timing and not so much of a conscious transition. Earlier in my journey, there happened to be more theater opportunities that presented themselves. And now currently I’ve been fortunate to have some more screen opportunities. Hopefully it’s cyclical and I can get involved with another theater project soon when the timing and role is right.

What was your biggest takeaway from working in theater that you were able to bring to your roles in TV and movies?

Preparation. Having had the opportunity to work on some theater earlier on really gave me an understanding of the kind of work that is necessary to be prepared to get in front of an audience or a camera.

You’re reprising your role as Chris in season two of The Good Place. Is there anything about the new season you can tease for fans? How will Chris factor into the new season?

Just to expect the unexpected. I think Chris factors into a bit of the mystery/excitement of not really knowing what will come next as the season unfolds.

Chris is Eleanor’s new “soulmate”. Is there anything your character does to try and distract her from finding out the truth? Will he be more of an ally to Eleanor?

Mmmm maybe?….
 
Is there anything you were really excited for when you joined The Good Place? Did you know you’d be back for the second season early on?

I didn’t really know too much going into the first season. Once I got to set, I found out a few small details about possibly recurring going into season 2. Everything about it was exciting.

What can you tease about your upcoming projects, specifically, the movie The Broken Ones, which made its film festival debut in June?

The Broken Ones is about a family’s struggle to overcome personal loss and tragedy leading up to the 10 year anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. It’s an important story based on true events written by/stars Cece King and directed by Elyse Niblett. And I just finishing working on a film called FLUIDITY directed by Linda Yellen, which tells the story of ten millennials living in New York City whose sexual lives intersect in the age of social media.

You have a leading role in the upcoming film, ADDicted. What can you tell us about the film and your role in particular?

ADDicted is another film based on true events about a college athlete struggling with attention deficit disorder and overwhelming expectations from an overbearing parent and society. The film also touches on the use and abuse of Adderall and it’s affects, and student suicide. I play Drew Dawson along side Kathleen Quinlan, Gil Bellows and Lauren Sweetser. It will have a release on Amazon Prime this December 2017.

Looking ahead, is there anything you’re most looking forward to in your acting career?

The Good Place Thursday nights on NBC! And the ability to continue to work with talented creative people.