From director/co-writer Jeff Rosenberg and co-writer/EP Laura Jacqmin, the romantic comedy We Broke Up follows longtime couple Lori (Aya Cash) and Doug (William Jackson Harper), who decide to pretend they’re still together and didn’t really just break up, at least until they get through the wedding of Lori’s little sister Bea (Sarah Bolger) to nice guy Jayson (Tony Cavalero). In order to keep the good times going, they participate in the festivities, all while wondering if they should even try to work out their issues or come to terms with the fact that they may just have grown apart.
During a virtual press day for the movie, William Jackson Harper talked about the appeal of doing something that’s not your typical romantic comedy, how The Good Place changed his life and career, the desire to be passionate about the work that he does, why Aya Cash was the ideal co-star, his bromance with Tony Cavalero, and shooting on such a tight schedule. He also talked about doing Season 2 of the HBO Max series Love Life, and his experience working with Barry Jenkins on the upcoming Amazon series The Underground Railroad.
Collider: This is definitely not a typical romantic comedy. Is that something that stood out for you, when you read this?
WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER: Yeah, that’s absolutely what drew me to it. I’ll be honest, I’ve watched more rom-coms during the pandemic than I have in the last several years, just because they are so light and easily digestible, with people being around other people. It’s cute and light and fun and fluffy. But the thing that I loved about the script is that it felt very real to me. It’s about how complicated it gets when you’ve been in a relationship for so long and people want different things, but they still love each other and they’ve gotta figure out what the way forward is. That feels like something I’ve seen in my life. I was like, “I get this and I’m really interested in seeing how this plays.”
We first spoke back in the earlier days of The Good Place. I absolutely loved that show from day one, but it really grew into something special and magical and perfect. What would you say are the most significant ways that The Good Place really changed your life and your career?
HARPER: It really completely changed my life and career. The most tangible way is that I was a struggling stage actor for a very long time. I was working, as a lot of stage actors are, but New York is a really tough city to live in. You can be working all the time and still really have a hard time making ends meet. In that respect, to do something that gave me a little bit of stability and security felt like a huge blessing. It was nice to know that I had the rent. That was a really great feeling that I didn’t realize I was always afraid that I was not gonna be able to afford food or shelter at some point. That was really great, but that was really basic. Career-wise, it changed everything. It just opened up so many doors and I’ve been able to work with such great people. Everyone on that set was awesome and really kind and sweet. It was a huge lesson to me that people that are brilliant can also be really kind. I had this idea that, if someone’s really talented, they’re probably gonna be difficult or something. And that may or may not be real at all, but it’s something that’s in my head, for some reason or another. So, to work with people that are that brilliant and that good at what they do and know what they’re talking about, and for them to be so kind, it was a huge lesson for me and just gave me a little more faith in the world and in people, in general.
You’ve had a pretty good career line-up of roles since doing the show and a really diverse group of projects, but how hard was it to figure out what that next step would be for you, once you had to actually pack up Chidi and put him away? Was it hard to find what those things were that you wanted to do next?
HARPER: Yeah, it is tough. The Good Place was my biggest job to date and I was like, “Okay, this was great. I just need to go to the next big job, no matter what it is.” Actually, it was me sitting down with my agent and manager and them being like, “We need to be strategic about the next thing.” I was like, “If someone’s offering me work, I need to take work because I gotta work.” And they were like, “You’ll work. Calm down and let’s make the right choice.” I was like, “Okay. All right.” It’s difficult, as an actor, to not just take jobs because they’re there. Also, because of the pandemic and everything, I’m in a place where I’ve gotten to spend so much time with my girlfriend and my dog, and it’s quality time where we’re just hanging out together, which is such a huge privilege, especially in this time. I’m like, “Oh, wow, right, this is important too,” and I’m really understanding how important that is. Just jumping into another project because it’s there is not the be all and end all of everything. Sometimes it’s better to just take a breather, wait a second, be a person for awhile, and wait for the thing that really intrigues you and really makes you feel passionate and like you really have to be a part of it.
This movie doesn’t work, if you don’t believe and feel for the couple at the center. What was the moment when you met Aya Cash and realized how that dynamic was going to work?
HARPER: Aya and I have been circling around each other in the New York theater scene for a number of years. I’ve seen her and had even worked with her in workshops and really short things, but we hadn’t really gotten a chance to work in depth with each other on a project for any length of time. I had always thought she was really good, and then seeing her in The Boys and all of these other projects, I was like, “Man, she’s so good.” So, there was automatically a little bit of love and adoration there, to begin with, and then the script just made sense. I have experience in long-term relationships and Aya does, as well. I think it’s something that we both naturally connected to, and it’s something that Jeff [Rosenberg] and Laura [Jacqmin] wrote very, very effectively. It didn’t feel like there was a whole lot of effort to create a thing, as far as energy or connection between the two of us. I actually have legit love and adoration for this person, and we’d been given a script that leaned into that and also the stresses on that relationship, and we got to figure that out. It definitely felt grounded and lived in when we were working on it.
There’s also a bit of an interesting and unusual bromance going on between you and Tony Cavalero through this, with him hugging you and picking you up and twirling you around, and then you being in the pool on his shoulders. What were the most stand-out moments for you, with that relationship dynamic?
HARPER: That dude is funny and so physically gifted. There’s a lot of really great physical comedic bits that he did and just came up with on the spot and just went for it. He’s such an open person and he’s really smart. He’s really slick and he’s very, very funny. How do you not like that guy, especially when you’re at his wedding and he’s making you feel like you are the only person in the room? You’re like, “Oh, this is why this couple’s getting married. This guy is really dynamic and fun and attentive and sweet.” Also, with Bea, played by Sarah Bolger, our characters are very close and we’re friends. I think there’s something about seeing the person that you really have great affection for, really love someone and see that person dote on them so hard. It’s really heartwarming and you wanna be a part of that love, as well. That was part of it. That’s all Tony being a dope dude. He’s a fantastic actor and he’s a great guy.
You’re also going to be doing another love story with Season 2 of the HBO Max series Love Life. What made you want to do that? What’s it like to step into the second season of a show?
HARPER: It was one of those things where I actually hadn’t seen the first season because rom-coms were not a thing that I really watched a lot of. My agent said, “Hey, the creator wants to just chat with you.” And I was like, “Okay, cool.” I chatted with Sam [Boyd] and I thought he was a really great dude. I was like, “Okay, I should do this. I’m gonna watch this and see what it is.” I just loved it. It felt very real to me. That’s what growing up in your 20s in New York actually does feel like, right down to the apartment being very small there being a window on the bedroom door because it’s actually a dining room. I was like, “Wow, this is real.” You’re all getting up and hanging out together. When I had a lot of roommates, there was a lot of dudes in the house chilling, watching Netflix, drinking gin and tonic, and just goofing off. There’s a vibe that feels very real, with the fumbling through and finding out who you are, and things coming apart and going back together, and growing and deciding what you actually wanna be. It felt like a well-rounded story of what it is to just be 2-something and have it be hard without it leaning into, “This is hard. How much does my life suck?” It’s just the difficulties of navigating a city like New York, and love is also a part of that component. I love the show. It felt very real to me. Then, I was so excited to be able to join and tell a different story, taking place in a different chapter in someone’s life, where they are more stable and they have things together, and then things change. What does that look like, once you put roots down, and then your life is thrown up in the air? I’m really excited to try to tell that story.
You’re a part of a very different show with The Underground Railroad. What’s it like to work with someone who takes as much care with his storytelling as the always poetic Barry Jenkins? How did you find the experience of working with him?
HARPER: What’s really interesting is that, for as meticulous as he is, he is just a normal guy. I guess I expected him to be bathed in some kind of glow and completely inaccessible. He’s incredibly smart. He’s got this vision in his brain that I wish I had, and I wish I could get into and understand fully, but he’s also just a very down to earth guy and that comes across in the storytelling. For all of the poetic nature, there’s still something that feels very grounded and real, and he very much wants that. There’s a lot of freedom. You’re basically in the playground and you just go and try things. He’ll give you direction, you’ll try something else, and he’ll give you more direction. He’s very collaborative. It’s great. And I guess I was afraid that it was gonna be something that I was gonna feel very straight-jacketed in, just because everything feels so specific. Nothing feels like it’s just an accident. But even within that, as an actor and a performer, he gives you a lot of freedom and that’s incredible. The next time he wants to work, I’m always down. I just feel really lucky that I got to be a part of it.
When you’re turning slavery and injustice into entertainment for a TV show, you want to make sure it’s authentic and true, and it certainly seems like those are good hands to have it put in.
HARPER: Yeah. I just feel like the piece itself will make people question themselves and question their beliefs and question who they would have been, in these situations. For me, it transcends being entertainment. It’s less entertainment and more of a dialogue with who we are. We’re living in a time where we’re witnessing a lot of upheaval. I would hope that this would engender some kind of introspection on all of our parts, and I love being a part of a story that I feel does that.
What was it like to shoot We Broke Up in 15 days? What that a crazy whirlwind? Did you wish that you had more time?
HARPER: Oh, yeah. I could be on set with that group of people for 24 hours a day and have a great time. We could do it several different ways, for every scene, and I would never get tired of it because we were just having so much fun. I was actually shooting The Underground Railroad at the same time. I had just finished a little bit of a piece of The Underground Railroad, I had some time off, and this movie slotted in perfectly. I was able to do that, and then go back to The Underground Railroad. I like to sit with one project when I can, but it’s also a lot of fun to just play a bunch of different things, all at the same time. It’s a really unique opportunity that I feel really lucky to have had, to be able to do two projects at the same time that just could not be more different, and really trying to be there and ground myself in both of those places. It was a challenge, but I’m just so glad that I got to try it.
We Broke Up is now playing in theaters, and is available on VOD/Digital on April 23rd.
