The Good Place's Chidi is helping combat the male stigma over anxiety

TV Guide

"Over The Good Place's four seasons, Chidi's never-ending cascade of concerns, over-analyzing every possible outcome, and spinning over worst-case scenarios have looked so much like my own that the jokes sting as much as they tickle me," says Malcolm Venable. "Because I have so been there: sweats, stomachaches, fatigue, shaky hands, alcohol abuse, you name it. And while The Good Place rarely labels Chidi's freakouts as anxiety, the show does portray him as a man who's both high-strung and a hero — a guy who asserts his most debilitating flaw with a confidence that, for me, has made Chidi a kind of North Star for accepting my own anxiety issues with grace." William Jackson Harper tells Venable of his character: "I feel there are expectations forced on us that say men have to be someone who's bold, decisive, and takes up a lot of space. It's been cool to play a character who explores different sides of what it means to be masculine. It's really important for me because I've always (struggled) with this idea that I'm not masculine enough. The way I move through the world is not the way most do. Guys like Chidi exist. A lot of us." ALSO: The Good Place is getting the Funko Pop doll treatment.