Hill Harper is very busy, often in ways that would be completely unfamiliar to those with whom he  works in Hollywood. An accomplished actor, author and — in recent years — motivational speaker, the “CSI: NY” star was also a key player in President Obama’s 2008 campaign. His latest film (which he also produced) is the independent “This Is Not a Test,” a satire that touches on the emotional dynamics in a marriage as it plays out in the midst of a major catastrophe in Los Angeles.

In a recent interview with The Wave, the Harvard Law School graduate discussed the making of the movie, the response to his literary work, and his long acquaintance with the current occupant of the White House.

In a prior interview you said that the script carries a film. Is the script what attracted you to the role of Carl in “This Is Not a Test”?
It was a couple of different things. I was originally approached with the material to produce it, but when I read it I saw that this would be a great role. I like the fact that it is intelligent, smart, satirical comedy but at the same time it has some type of message as well. And you see an African-American couple not just dealing with issues about race, but dealing with issues about relationships — which I think is unique.

What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the character and your own personality?
The role is very neurotic and he falls down a rabbit  hole of neurosis and fear. I have not had the opportunity to play that role and I have played different characters that have the certain tendencies to do this and that, but not anywhere  near the level of neuroses that Carl had, and that is what  made the character very interesting. You know, when the script was written it wasn’t necessarily written for an African-American male, it was just written for a guy. There were no race-specific things attached to it and it was a lot of fun to play.

You drew a lot of attention for your volunteer work on President Obama’s campaign finance committee. How has service shaped your life?
I personally come from a legacy of service. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a pharmacist who had a pharmacy that served the African-American community in Seneca, South Carolina during segregation. My other grandfather, on my father’s side, was a doctor who served family throughout the Midwest … I think service is important and to highlight service in entertainment is important, but also just service in your real life. I am very proud to have worked as a national surrogate for the Obama campaign and … President Obama is someone I have known for 20 years now. It’s natural that I would want to serve him and serve his candidacy because I had a good insight for the past few years of how wonderful of a president he would in fact be. Service is natural in that I wanted to see him become president, because we need great leadership.

In your second book, “Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny” you talk about the hotel you co-own, the International House Hotel in New Orleans, and the decision to keep its workers employed with full benefits during Hurricane Katrina. If other companies and institutions modeled these kind of decisions, what effect would it have on this world and this society?
In my opinion I would like to think more of the idea of equal best results. For instance, in the situation with my hotel in New Orleans: if you have a big picture idea instead of looking at the bottom line all the time, with this myopic [focus on] the budget. You see, what makes New Orleans one of the greatest cities in the world is the people. It is the best result for my hotel economically and long term if we maintain the culture, if we keep people there and keep people from being displaced. It’s more about having a long-term view, because a lot of the problems you see in the economy, government and business is that they are so short-sighted. Even in film you see it in a lot of movies and film making where they cast people for the quick buck, and you’re asking why is this person being cast for that role — does it makes the movie work, makes the product work? Yet many of the executives are so short-sighted and they are not creating quality. Instead of charity, I would like to think of it a long-term cultivation of relationships and a long term relationship with employees to make sure that they are taken care of, and then you end up with the best results for everybody. I really come from a school of win-win — I believe that a lot of people feel that someone has to lose in order for someone to win and don’t believe that we all can win.

What has been the response from the literary world, fellow actors and friends to your work as an author?
Both of the books “Letters to a Young Brother” and “Letters to a Young Sister” are two of the things that I have done in my career that I am most proud of. I am also proud to have won the Award for the American Library Association for Young Adults in 2007, which I was really humbled by because that is a literary honor that is usually bestowed to a high-profile author and not a first-time author. I am very proud, but moreover I am proud of the e-mail I have received from the thousands and thousands of young people across the country that have read the books and say that their life has been changed by this portion or that section. I couldn’t be more proud of the books, and it’s [good] to have a platform of being an entertainer — that offered me some measure of so-called celebrity currency … to be able to extend positive messages and have them received in a way that is positive.