7 Things You May Not Know About “This Is Us”
Hurry! The clock is ticking and you need to binge watch the first season of This Is Us before the show returns on September 26!
In case you’ve somehow missed NBC’s top-rated dramedy, let me give you a quick premise of what it’s about:
“This is real. This is love. This is life. This Is Us.”
Yes, it’s that simple. It’s about life—real life—with messy people who do their best to love one another and find their way on this crazy, twisting road. And it’s that simple yet intricate storyline that has made Dan Fogelman’s creation capture the hearts and attention of both viewers and critics alike (winning two Emmy Awards this year).
The plot follows five individuals who all come together in a much bigger way. But, each character has his or her own struggle making it easy for fans to relate.
Maybe you’re already a fangirl of the show and you’re thinking, “Tell me something I don’t know, lady.” You got it.
For those of you who are familiar with Rebecca, Jack, Kevin, Kate, and Randall, here are 7 things you may not know about the show and its characters:
1. Chrissy Metz had 81 cents to her name before landing her role as Kate.
In an article in Glamour, Chrissy Metz shares a lot about her challenging childhood and the emotional and financial struggles she overcame while pursuing her acting career. Metz said, “I’ve had women—average women, older women, teenagers—who say to me, ‘Your role on this show has changed my life.’ That makes all the struggle, all the ramen noodles, all the times when I couldn’t pay my bills, all the times where I was like, ‘I can’t do this,’ worth it. Sometimes I cry on the way to the set still. There is something that happens when you are grateful: You continue to keep receiving blessings. So I will always be grateful.” Chrissy Metz is living a life of grit and grace, and we love that she’s sharing her story to inspire others!
2. There are masterminds working behind the scenes.
This Is Us has the same writing and directing team as the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. You know, the hilarious romantic comedy with Ryan Gosling (need I say more?), Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon? Yeah, that one. This Is Us is just as fun and creative.
3. Someone else could have played Rebecca—sort of.
Since the show jumps between two different timelines—1980 and present day—This Is Us considered hiring another actress to play Rebecca in 2016 (Mandy Moore’s character). According to an article from AOL Entertainment, Sterling K. Brown (playing Randall) recalls the moment he saw Moore in her full makeup saying, “I remember the first time they put Mandy in the 2016 makeup and she stepped on set and I couldn’t take my eyes—I was like ‘wow, this is gonna work!’ For a while, they toyed with the idea of hiring a different actor to play her in 2016, but, they did the makeup test first and rejiggered it a few different times and ultimately came up with something they liked. When she came on set she was so, just, 2016 Rebecca.”
4. It was an overnight success, duh.
The show was picked up for an entire season only hours after it premiered due to the overwhelmingly positive response.
5. Talent runs in the family.
Ron Cephas Jones, who plays Randall’s biological father, has a daughter who has also made a name for herself. Jasmine Cephas Jones plays Peggy Schulyer in Broadway’s musical hit, Hamilton.
6. The cast actually really likes each other in real life, too.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Justin Hartley, who plays Kevin, dishes on the dynamic of the cast. “Sometimes we’ll only see each other in passing, like ships passing in the night. Like with Milo , I see him coming and I see him going. I’m always so happy to see him. I try to talk to him as long as I can because he’s fascinating to me—I love that dude—but we don’t get any time together on camera. We’re not spending the entire day together. But he’ll arrange a dinner where we can all get together, which is nice. I work with Chrissy a lot. She’s lovelier than you could possibly imagine. Sterling ’s amazing—all we do is laugh all day long—and Mandy is the kindest spirit you will ever meet in your entire life. She’s got this sort of light about her. She walks into a room and when she smiles, you look around and everyone is smiling and no one knows why—it’s just because they’re looking at Mandy smiling and it makes you smile. It’s a bunch of great people. I’ve never worked with a cast that is this grounded and wonderful to be around.”
7. Fun facts from IMDb about Milo.
If Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) looks familiar but you just can’t place him, he has also starred in the international hit Heros and played Jess, our favorite boyfriend of Rory’s, in Gilmore Girls. His self-described ‘crooked mouth’ is a result of dead nerves, which cause the left side of his mouth to remain immobile. Oh, and he’s also a vegetarian and has been since childhood.
This Is Us has a fantastic cast, great behind-the-scenes team, and is quickly becoming a household name. It’s a show that is simply going to make you feel, and our verdict is that it’s worth the emotional investment.
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#gritandgracelife
