The Best Time Eleanor Shellstrop Ever Broke Character On The Good Place
As one of the funniest shows from the last few years, it's no surprise that "The Good Place" has a blooper reel full of silly gems. It's amazing the cast made it through filming at all with the sheer absurdity of their jokes. Of course, they did break a few times, and Kristen Bell, playing lead Eleanor, was no exception.
When Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up to the pleasant message "Welcome! Everything is fine," she learns that she's died, gotten into The Good Place, and can live out her afterlife with her soulmate Chidi (William Jackson Harper) in a perfectly created neighborhood. Only, Eleanor isn't meant to be there. She's actually kind of a terrible person – a fact that stands out as soon as she starts cursing. Instead of the word she's trying to say, it comes out as "fork," "shirt," or "ash-hole." Her heavenly guide Michael (Ted Danson) explains that people in the neighborhood don't like cursing, but in reality it's just meant to torture Eleanor.
However, unlike Eleanor, Bell is fully capable of swearing. She has no magical censor system turning her swears into forks and shirts. Nope, Bell's gotta do all the censoring herself. And that's just a recipe for disaster.
Kristen Bell is so surprised at what comes out of her mouth
The best time Kristen Bell breaks character is when she's so in character that she actually surprises herself. It's a scene in the first season, when Chidi is panicking and tells her, "We're doomed!" Eleanor responds with: "Dude, you need to chill the f*** out." Of course, Bell is supposed to say the word "fork" but she's in full Eleanor mode so she just goes straight for the curse. The hilarious moment comes a beat later when she realizes what she said and is clearly surprised at herself, causing William Jackson Harper to burst out laughing. It's about 45 seconds into the Season 1 gag reel.
It's worth noting that "The Good Place" blooper reels are all censored as well, though with the usual bleeps instead of the word alterations, meaning we still can't hear what Bell really said, but it's easy enough to tell. The editors did have a little fun with the later seasons' bloopers, putting images of "The Good Place"-approved swears over the mouths of the cast members in addition to the bleep.
Bell certainly hasn't been the only cast member to screw up their swearing line, but Eleanor is the most prone to it just by the filthy nature of her dialogue. The real question is if Bell has ever accidentally said "fork" in place of another, less appropriate word.