Chrissy Metz Follow’s ‘This Is Us’ Guest Star Sylvester Stallone’s Words of Wisdom
Fans were distraught to learn that the hit show This Is Us was coming to an end. Ever since the show premiered in 2016, the NBC drama tugged at viewers’ hearts as the cast delivered tear-jerking Oscar-worthy performances. Now viewers are more than ever waiting for the season 6 finale so that they can bid goodbye to their favorite characters. As the show plays its final bow, actor Chrissy Metz shares the advice she got from one of the show’s guest stars.
Chrissy Metz struggled to become an actor
Although Metz has enjoyed immense success with This Is Us, life wasn’t always so rosy. The star made her acting debut in 2005 in Entourage. She had a small role in the TV series as a counter girl. After a few more roles, Metz landed parts in American Horror Story, High, and My Name is Earl.
Although she was booking roles, they weren’t paying the bills, so she had to take up odd jobs. Metz worked as a fast-food employee, a junior talent scout, and a nanny. She revealed that she would use her lunch breaks to go on casting calls.
Meet also revealed that she gained significant weight by “sitting behind a desk and being depressed.” She said that she had a particularly tough time trying to make it after appearing on American Horror Story since she didn’t book any more acting jobs after.
The star even confessed to having only 80 cents in her bank account before landing the part to play Kate in This Is Us. Metz mentioned that she was ready to give up until about a week before landing her life-changing role on the NBC drama. She, however, kept pushing and, with her friends and family’s help, managed to stay afloat while still auditioning.
Metz got some interesting advice from Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone guest-starred on This Is Us in season 2, episode 3, playing Kevin’s commander. The star’s appearance in the show was iconic and served as a lighthouse for the entire series. Metz called Stallone “the most charming person.”
She shared some advice the iconic star gave her about being an actor, saying “it’s so much about resilience and about having a thick skin and about continuing, pursuing even when you think you’re never gonna make it.”
Metz shared: “He gave me pearls of wisdom … I started with the show with 81 cents in my bank account, and obviously with Rocky, he of course wrote and it was a whole tumultuous beginning and he had nothing, nobody was going to hire him — he was a professional extra. So I was like, ‘We both started from humble beginnings.’ And we bonded in that way, and then he said, ‘It’s so much about resilience and about having a thick skin, and about just kind of continuing and pursuing even if you don’t think you’re going to make it and just keep going.'”
Metz said she has been following Stallone’s advice since then.
Metz plays Kate on ‘This Is Us’
Kate Pearson is one of the triplets born to Rebecca and Jack Pearson. She is Kevin’s twin and Randall’s sister. Throughout the show, viewers get to see Kate’s struggles with body image and eating habits. However, as the show progresses, Kate becomes more comfortable with herself and grows into her own, even finding love in the end.
Interestingly, Metz’s character on the show is based on a real person. According to Glamour, This Is Us, writer Dan Fogelman sourced inspiration for Kate from his sister and their relationship. His sister Deborah is even a consultant on the show and reads every script to ensure that the character’s storyline stays authentic and depicts a woman battling weight issues.
Metz also identifies and relates heavily with her character. She revealed in an interview that one monologue about her character’s weight hit deep and was relatable. She said, “I remember reading those lines like, ‘I’m always going to be afraid of a chair breaking underneath me’ or ‘whether people will be able to recognize if I’m actually pregnant.” Metz explained that the only way to tell Kate’s story is “to tell the story” and that her character is authentic.
