‘This Is Us’ cast members tease Kate and Toby’s split: ‘I felt gutted’
The stars of "This Is Us" are apparently just as devastated as viewers are about the upcoming split between Kate and Toby.
In a special panel that was part of NBC’s Scripted Press Day on Friday, Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Beth on the hit NBC drama, said even just reading the script about the breakup between Kate, played by Chrissy Metz, and Toby, played by Chris Sullivan, got her feeling emotional.
“I’m reading about you know what’s going to happen between Toby and Kate and it just, you know, I felt gutted," said Watson.
Sterling K. Brown, who plays Watson's onscreen husband, Randall, warned viewers to brace themselves for the episode.
“On behalf of our two castmates who aren’t here right now, Chrissy and Chris, the s--- they got coming … this s--- hits different. Be wary, be on guard when it’s coming your way," said the Emmy winner.
Though the end of Kate and Toby's marriage will be intense, the show's writers handled it with compassion, said series creator Dan Fogelman. "There’s a beautiful script that’s been written that I won’t say too much about, but that’s one of the ones I’m most proud of," he said.
Everyone who works on "This Is Us" believes that no matter how "flawed" people are, and no matter what mistakes they may make, they can find "a decency and beauty" in even their toughest experiences, said Fogleman.
"And if divorce is something that happens to 50% of marriages," he continued, "I think you can assume that, while divorce will be sad and ugly, we’ll find some way to also make it human and in its own way beautiful."
During the panel, Milo Ventimiglia, who plays family patriarch Jack Pearson, lamented that the majority of his scenes since Jack's tragic death in season two have been flashbacks. Just once, said Ventimiglia, he'd like to appear in a present-day storyline with Jack's adult children and their spouses.
“I’m still, six years in, a little sad that Jack’s dead and I can’t share a real scene with Susan or Sully or anybody else without being on drugs or in the hospital or on alcohol," Ventimiglia griped as his co-stars laughed.
"But also I've had the joy of, like, being on the side watching everyone do their work," he added.
Ventimiglia said he's so in awe of his castmates' talent that picking a favorite actor on the show is impossible. "It's like they're wonderful and they're special and they're unique. And they're not to be compared to anything else that anybody else is doing," he said, adding, "I'm just so grateful to be a part of it."
"This Is Us" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
