Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: Citizen CZ Smart, D'Arcy Carden, interview, nbc, the good place

The Good Place Star D'Arcy Carden Reflects on NBC Comedy Series

D'Arcy Carden (A League of Their Own) spoke with Bleeding Cool about her run on NBC's The Good Place and why playing Janet meant so much.

D'Arcy Carden is one of the most versatile and charismatic actors working today. While primarily known for her work in comedy, she's also been known to flex her dramatic chops on shows like HBO's Barry and Amazon Prime Video's A League of Their Own. But perhaps her biggest signature role to date was Janet, a programmed guide and knowledge bank on the NBC fantasy comedy The Good Place. Throughout its four-season run from 2016-2020, D'Arcy was able to play multiple iterations of the character flexing the type of range most actors can only dream of. While promoting her work with Citizen Watch America's CZ Smart Watch, the actress spoke with Bleeding Cool about her time on the series, the camaraderie on set, and trying to meet expectations.

How 'The Good Place' Brought the Best Out of D'Arcy Carden

The series follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who goes to the afterlife known as "The Good Place," a selective Heaven-like utopia run by architect Michael (Ted Danson). Not everything is as it seems like Eleanor might have been sent there by mistake, and she tries to hide her immoral improprieties. The series also starred William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto. "I feel unbelievably lucky that I got to work on that show," Carden said. "Mike Schur, who created the show, is a literal genius and one of the nicest people I've ever worked with. He's the type of boss who surrounds himself with people he trusts. There's this cool sort of comfort that everybody had on that set. Nobody was trying to get ahead or be the best or prove themselves. It was like everybody was just a team and everybody was there to make each other look great and do their best work. It felt easy, comfortable, and getting to…the things the writers let me do on that show, I still can't quite comprehend [laughs]."

Carden appreciated what they let Janet get away with on the show. "I still can't believe some of the things they let me do, and that was among those same lines," she said. "It was like he [series creator Michael Schur] wanted people to shine, not only from the actors, but also every inch of that set, including the costume, writing, props, and everything. Oh, my gosh! The props! It was a great life lesson in that you can do something special, great, enjoyable, and lovely by surrounding yourself with people you love."

With each season, Carden pushed herself to improve. "The most challenging thing about that show was me wanting to live up to their expectations like the writers and Mike Schur were," she said. "I'm still obsessed, and I still think those are some of the smartest people I've ever met in my life. They would give me these gems in the scripts, and all I would think about is how I would put the pressure on myself to deliver. It wasn't them saying, 'You better deliver.' It was me saying, 'I want to please them.' I was putting the pressure on myself, but it was that I really loved working on that show so much."

One of the biggest Janet moments that sticks out comes from "Chapter 7: The Eternal Shriek" when Chidi Anagonye (Harper) and Eleanor are offered switches to kill Janet beachside, which she freely offers. The caveat is that Janet will act in self-preservation mode in a convincing fashion. "Reading that script. I remember being like, 'This show is very special. This is weird, you know?'" Carden said. The Good Place is currently available to stream on Netflix. Preorders are currently available on the CZ Smart, a technology that Carden became interested in while filming the popular NBC series even before becoming their spokesperson.

"When I was cast as Janet on 'The Good Place,' who is not quite a robot and not quite a human, but somewhere in between. There's some sort of computer brain going on in there. I became a little obsessed with A.I. and technology that could be better," Carden explained. "The world of tech and A.I. is so overwhelming and far beyond me, but when [there's an opportunity] to better yourself, it seems like such an amazing resource. It's far beyond what I've ever learned in my life. There's so much more to learn, and something like this is such an easy way to digest it."

Carden added, "Honestly, I keep thinking about Citizen and Janet, because Janet would tell you what the weather was that day, but also she wants you to be the best version of yourself. She's such a problem solver, helper, and everything. Janet was designed to make your life easier. I keep thinking of the Citizen Smart Watch as like a little Janet on your wrist [laughs], at least for me. It works for me, and you can ask "Janet" questions, like "How many countries are in the world?" whatever, whatever the question is. She would also be so happy to give you advice on "How much sleep should I get tonight?" "What's the best time for me to wake up in the morning?" "When I'm feeling tired tomorrow, what's the best thing I could do to make myself more alert and have more energy?" It does feel this feels like a little "Janet" on my wrist [laughs]."

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