‘This Is Us’ Season 6: Milo Ventimiglia Teases Mandy Moore for ‘Bailing’ After 1 Romantic Scene
Name a more iconic TV couple than Jack and Rebecca Pearson on This Is Us. Yes, Rebecca and Miguel are a close second. But long before those two got together, romance sparked between Jack and Rebecca. Today, fans could never picture anyone else playing the beloved roles besides This Is Us Season 6 actors Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore. However, the actors weren’t always guaranteed a spot in the cast. Learn how Ventimiglia reacted to Moore’s first audition.
‘This Is Us’ cast member Milo Ventimiglia says Mandy Moore ‘bailed’ after her first romantic audition
The chemistry between Jack and Rebecca Pearson has been evident all the way through This Is Us Season 6. During the pilot, Rebecca attempts to dance provocatively for Jack while pregnant with triplets. And Jack happily receives the dance while wearing only a Steelers “terrible towel.” From that moment on, fans were sold on the romance between Jack and Rebecca. But the chemistry wasn’t always as easy for Ventimiglia and Moore.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the This Is Us Season 6 actors joked about their first audition together.
“In the process of casting Jack and Rebecca, I read with a couple different girls and I remember Mandy Moore walking in,” said Ventimiglia. “We had just met, and here I am about to be nuzzled into this stranger’s neck and play this dynamic married couple’s scene.”
But Ventimiglia was a perfect gentleman. He even asked Moore “Is it OK if I’m in your neck?”
“He was so gentlemanly,” said Moore. “I’m like, ‘Yes, handsome stranger, get on in there!'”
But the romantic moment was short-lived.
“Then when it was done,” said Ventimiglia. “She got up and said, ‘OK. Thanks a lot!’ And she just bailed.”
According to Moore, her nerves got the best of her and she left as soon as she could.
“I hate auditions, I was so nervous!” said Moore. “I remember Milo was the guy to beat; they loved Milo. Then I went in and read with him and thought it was either a good thing or a terrible thing that they only had me read with this one gentleman. I beelined out of there.”
‘This Is Us’ Season 6 star Mandy Moore didn’t think she landed the role of Rebecca
Moore has taken the role of Rebecca Pearson and turned her into the iconic matriarch we see in This Is Us Season 6. Not just any old actor could do that. However, after her initial audition with Ventimiglia, Moore wasn’t convinced she got the job. Moore revealed that she was so doubtful that she completely forgot about the role after her audition. Little did she know she’d someday be wrapping up the final episodes of This Is Us Season 6.
“I auditioned early on in the process and I remember hearing, ‘They liked you, but they’re going to read women in New York and Chicago,'” said Moore. “I sort of forgot about it and, six weeks later, I got word they wanted to bring me in for a chemistry read.”
Ventimiglia added that he knew Moore landed the role as soon as she wrapped her audition with him.
“I remember turning and looking at John and Glen, who are smiling, and it’s like Christmas morning for Dan,” said Ventimiglia. “It was meant to be.”
What will the ‘This Is Us’ final season reveal about Jack and Rebecca’s relationship?
This Is Us Season 6 fans are still learning more about Jack and Rebecca. Fans have watched the This Is Us actors fall madly in love. They’ve seen Jack fight in the Vietnam war. They even watched Rebecca navigate Jack’s death and ultimately find new love. So, what will This Is Us Season 6 reveal about the fan-favorite couple? Show creator Dan Fogelman shared some thoughts during the same interview with Ventimiglia and Moore.
“Those early twists and turns, and the things that would get people talking, was the stuff you do to keep a show titillating and give it propulsion in this day and age. And it was a little bit of the magic of storytelling,” said Fogelman. And now in this final season, we’re able to sit a little more linearly in that other stuff. Because we’re heading to those places we’ve teased all through the years, and the way we’re going to tell the story this year, the answers that people are waiting for will all be had by the end so that we can sit in the simplicity when we finally finish.”
Watch the final episodes of This is Us Season 6 every Tuesday on NBC and Hulu.
