Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Nov. 11 episodes ofLove Life.
Are you relieved Marcus’Love Lifeended happily?
We know we are.
William Jackson Harper on ‘Love Life’ season 2.Sarah Shatz/HBO Max
Was it a case of finding your lead, then finding the story or vice versa?
We’d move through this little universe that we would build up and up and up.
Did you know pretty quickly that you wanted Will as your lead?
Jessica Williams and William Jackson Harper on ‘Love Life’ season 2.Sarah Shatz/HBO Max
BOYD:For me, it really just started with Will.
Will was someone I’d been a huge fan of.
We even talked about him as maybe one of the love interests in season 1.
William Jackson Harper and Anna Kendrick on ‘Love Life’ season 2.Sarah Shatz/HBO Max
Anna [Kendrick] was a fan of his as well.
The second I thought of him as the lead of season 2, it just clicked.
Will, how was that experience for you?
Sam coming to you with a project he wanted to build around you?
WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER:Sam approached me, and I didn’t know him at all.
But then my agent was like, “This is really good.
You should check out this show.”
So I gave it a shot and really dug it.
It’s about this woman growing up and making mistakes.
Watching those relationships fall apart, it felt very real to me.
It wasn’t all cute.
So Sam and I got together in the backyard and had a couple of cocktails.
Both of us like to play with expectations.
Sam,how much of a challenge is it to strike the right tone for this show?
Being a rom-com, it could so easily slip into clicheor become overly sentimental.
We’re always trying to push it as much as possible in the direction of real things.
Will,this was your first time leading a TV show.
Were there any unexpected challenges?
Why did you decide to shape the narrative that way this time around?
BOYD:We were trying to shake things up.
It kind of felt flat too much like Darby and Augie.
It was good, but it just wasn’t new enough.
So we ended up rebreaking the pilot.
Season 1 was very much about this woman in her 20s yearning for anyone to love her.
So how can we tell a different story here?
If he was just in free fall and it was like, “Who knows?
Will, how was working with Jessica?
She’s so magnetic as Mia.
HARPER:We met on Zoom because of the plague upon land.
I’ve been a fan of Jessica for a while fromThe Daily Showand2 Dope Queens.
I just thought she was so cool way cooler than I’ve ever been.
When we were reading through the scenes together, something for me just clicked.
I just had a certain awe of her, which I think Marcus has too.
It takes off from there, but I think it’s a testament to how talented Jessica is.
She has this ease and mystery about her.
I think that’s right.
She has this magical quality about her.
How did you approach those, Will?
Did you work with an intimacy coordinator for the sex scenes?HARPER:Oh, dear.
Yeah, we definitely had an intimacy coordinator.
Those things are always nerve-wracking for everybody.
You don’t just go for it.
You get very clear consent with every single move.
You’re still acting, but it’s very much a dance, very choreographed.
I mean, that’s just a weird thing to do at work.
Sam, you also chose to include the pandemic in this season.
Can you talk about the decision to do that and what it offered in terms of storytelling?
But being a universe where [Hurricane] Sandy exists but the pandemic doesn’t would be weird.
What do you have to reckon with?”
How does that help him as he’s in the home stretch of his story?
Well, including real events also gave you the opportunity to address the Black Lives Matter movement.
BOYD:To tell a story about 2020 and avoid that would feel so wrong.
Will, how much of Marcus' pain and frustration did you relate to?
HARPER:Well, the quitting thing was really cathartic.
Marcus was getting to say a lot of stuff I was thinking.
This is not new.
It has always been this.
Andnoweverybody’s sorry?Noweverybody gives a damn?
You don’t get credit for coming to this particular f—ing funeral late.
No, you don’t get that."
So, yeah, it felt right.
They’re not afforded the same respect right off the bat as writers because they’re Black.
I think Marcus hates that.
I mean,Ihate that.
So in that moment, I got to say some stuff I’ve wanted to say.
BOYD:I think, like with season 2, it definitely will start with the actor.
We’ve had a lot of discussions, although nothing’s set in stone.
And will you bring Will as Marcus back as the bridge like you did with Anna Kendrick?
BOYD: There was always an intention to make the whole thing feel like this shared universe.
If we’re lucky enough to continue the show, it would always have this baton-pass feeling.
It’s like theNancy Meyersversion of the MCU.
Will, would you come back for a few appearances as Marcus next season to pass the baton?
HARPER:Oh, yeah, of course.
It’s a great set.
Everyone’s really great.
I love it and I would be back in a heartbeat.
Love Lifeseason 2 is streaming now on HBO Max.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
