NBC Universal
Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia on Their ‘This Is Us’ Marriage
Anyone breathlessly watching the last few episodes of This Is Us‘ first season, and the seeming downward spiral of the Jack and Rebecca Pearson marriage, should be relieved to know that the previously-happy couple are working on picking up the pieces.
“There’s a lot happening for all of the Pearsons,” Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Jack, recently told an audience gathered for Deadline.com’s Emmy Contenders event. “Jack and Rebecca, of course, need to get their marriage on track, because it’s crumbled and fractured.”
MORE: ‘This Is Us’ Will Definitely Reveal How Jack Died in Season 2 — and We’re Not Ready!
Adds Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca, “I think some of the answers that people are looking for at least will be somewhat satisfied and satiated in the beginning of the next season.”
Milo smiled as he looked at the audience, “I was just about to give away a whole bunch of stuff. Mandy just saved me. TV wife saves me again.”
The loving look between Jack and Kate. (Photo Credit: NBC Universal)
Big laughs and applause come from the gathered crowd, but the takeaway from this is the effortless chemistry between both Milo and Mandy, which has played so important a role in the show’s success. And both actors take their on screen marriage extremely seriously.
“We have always spoken about what Jack and Rebecca are going through, and making sure we’re honoring this couple who’s going through a lot and experiencing a lot,” offers Milo. “It kind of feels like a real marriage on TV, and in the partnership of what we do on set, it’s very easy.”
The secret, says Mandy, is that they approach their jobs the same way and are extremely communicative with each other. “We really like to break down the work,” she notes, “and be on the same page and go over it in hair and makeup all the time. We’re obviously going through lines and whatnot, but it was pretty seamless, like walking in for the chemistry read with Milo. There were a couple of girls and a couple of guys, and we were all mixed and matched, and reading with one another. I had heard through the grapevine that Milo was the guy to beat. I went in and I read with him, and he was the only guy that I read with. I was, like, ‘I hope this is a good sign,’ but it was immediately so comfortable.”
“When Mandy walked in,” Milo smiles, “it was just a beautiful performance.”
Closes Mandy, “As actors, it’s our job a lot of times to have to mine for that chemistry, but sometimes you really luck out and it’s right there on the surface.”
This Is Us is currently being rerun on NBC and streamed on Hulu.
