Chrissy Metz – This Is Us

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) How was Kate originally described to you?

A) I just read the breakdown and it was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties who was the assistant to her very successful brother. It was pretty simple and then when I read the actual script I was like, “Oh, there is a lot going on here. As an actor, you bring your own spin on things, but what you kind of see is what was written and I made it my own. She is a strong woman, but is living in the shadow of her brother and is trying to get out from under the shadow of him.

Q) Was there anything you added to Kate that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I’m pretty bold and pretty confident. I think that Kate used to be and it’s been diminished and her personality is kind of drawn into the background because her brother has always been in the forefront. We know that both Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Kevin (Justin Hartley), her brothers, have been wildly successful and she has kind of been contending with weight all of her life and feeling like maybe inadequate compared to them but she has also been the diplomat. So, she’s the glue that holds them together and she is always putting herself before others. I can relate to that because I’ve been assistant in my life, but she is trying to uncover the woman that she knows she supposed to be and was at one point. For Kate, she is slowly coming back in her confidence and with me I have no shame and will talk to anyone. It’s hard to play that because I’m so far away from that kind of woman. Because she still finds her identity in her weight and it has always been an issue for her. While it is in my life because I’m not wearing a prosthetic suit, obviously weight is an issue in my life. But I don’t find my identity in it and I don’t find my value and self worth in that. That’s always a tricky balancing act.

Q) Was the weight aspect of the character something you embraced or hesitated about it at all?

A) I totally embraced it! I think it is so important to have all walks of life age, race, men and women – no matter our differences are. People need to be educated about them. When you are uneducated about a particular age, race or whatever stereotype might be, you make blanket statements about people. All of these things we have an idea of what they are and then we are educated about them there is an understanding. Then, when there is an understanding people are much more receptive and open to, “Wow, I had this idea of what this person was or wasn’t.” Now, it’s even more important. As far as your weight goes, you are instantly judged. When someone meets you that is the first thing they see and when you can change their mind about it I think that’s such a beautiful thing. I knew that there hasn’t been something like this on television. I was so excited to do this, but nervous because I wasn’t sure what this meant since it was so new. It was exciting though so I was totally embracing it.

Q) As a twin myself, I notice you have a very accurate bond between Kevin and Kate portrayed on screen. Did you spend much time together to develop that close relationship twins share?

A) Thank you! When we first tested together, I was instantly drawn to Justin. I really liked him as a person and I had obviously watched his career, but it is different when you work with them. We got to talking during the testing (because they test for five girls and five guys) and we came to found out our biological fathers have the same name. We are both middle children and we had all these things we didn’t know we had in common like the way that we were raised and handled in our childhood and it was ironic because not even the producers or the writers could have predicted it. I firmly believe that everything happens the way it is supposed to. We got to talking. He actually mentioned at Paley Fest that he was going through some things in his personal life and for some reason I just blurted out my unsolicited opinions. He said it was the best advice he had ever received and it changed his life. So, it was from that moment that we just had this friendship and I’m so glad it comes through on screen.

Q) There are also such great comedic moments in your scenes with Chris Sullivan. Did you improv much during your scenes together?

A) To know Chris Sullivan is to love that man. He is so brilliant and I actually didn’t test with him. He showed up to the table read and it was like, “Oh, hey.” It was instant. I was like, “This is going to be the best time of my life.” He improvises like it is his job, which it is, and he is so funny! Glenn [Ficarra] and John [Requa] (who directed and also are the producers on the show) let us have freedom with improving. Chris would say things and you just couldn’t help but laugh. He’s so charming. The scene where we were on our first date at the restaurant he said, “Let’s bail on the check.” Then, he got up and ran out of the restaurant. That wasn’t written and I didn’t know what to do. I just kind of got up and started to walk out of the restaurant. It was just so much fun. With the weight-loss support group, he was giving so many one-liners that the background actors and day players were cracking up because they knew it wasn’t written in the script. That’s Chris Sullivan for you. He’s so much fun and so great.

Q) What do you hope take away from watching the series?

A) I talk about this often, we’re all works in progress and we’re all trying to figure this amazing thing called life out. It’s how we make the best of any situation. We all can relate to these characters because there might be something we should have, could have or would have done or something we might have shame about whether it is a lack of relationship with a family member, weight or wanting someone to take you seriously as an actor as opposed to just being another beautiful face or body. We are all struggling and we all have a story. We all want the same thing. So, I think that being able to come back to the show week after week, in terms of living these characters’ lives simultaneously with our lives, is such a beautiful thing. That’s why art is so incredible. I think the take away is that we’re not alone. We’re all collectively together.

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of fan feedback have you been receiving to your character and “This Is Us?”

A) Honestly, I could still cry about it right now. There are a lot of women who reached out to me that were so complementary and men as well. They would say, “Wow, it’s so great to see someone your size and type to be confident on the screen.” One woman messaged me and said, “I woke up this morning with confidence and I’ve never felt that way before in my life.” And it brought me to tears because I know how it feels to feel less than because of the zeroes in our bank account or on a scale. It really moved me that this art and this show and character can move people to the point is changed their lives…and overnight! That, to me, is incredible. I’m really, really grateful and trying to make a concerted effort to respond to everyone because I know how important it is and it is important to me. It’s been amazing! It’s really been amazing. People are saying, “I’m laughing! I’m crying! Then I’m laughing again!” That’s life, right? It’s a testament to Dan Fogelman and his incredible writing.

Q) What can you tease is in store for this season of “This Is Us?”

A) As in life, nothing is perfect. There are ups and downs. When you are starting a relationship things aren’t perfect, especially when you are dealing with self worth issues. Maybe not even feeling worthy of a healthy relationship. So, there is going to be some ups and downs between Kate and Toby and a lot changing for Kate and Kevin. It is going to be a really heartbreaking and really fun to watch. There are some really sweet things Toby does for Kate that every man is basically going to have to try to live up to those standards. We were laughing about it on set saying how basically men are going to be struggling to do really nice things for their significant others to be up to par. It’s really sweet stuff coming up.