‘This Is Us’: Chris Geere Says of Kate and Phillip’s Relationship ‘She’s With the Guy She Wants’
This Is Us star Chris Geere, who plays Phillip, the man who became Kate Pearson’s (Chrissy Metz) second husband, had what appeared to be an insurmountable task. However, he had a short amount of time to prove to the drama’s longtime viewers that his presence in the series mattered. That he was good enough for the show’s beloved “Katie Girl” on the heels of the heartbreaking end of her marriage to Toby (Chris Sullivan). Geere validated his role in the series, noting Kate is “with the guy she wants.”
Phillip and Kate’s relationship didn’t evolve overnight
Although it appeared the couple’s relationship evolved overnight, Kate and Phillip were friends for quite some time before moving to a more permanent step.
In the series timeline, Kate and Phillip became friends in the present day. As her boss, their relationship grew over time.
However, he spent more time with Kate and her children with Toby; Jack, and Hailey. Phillip’s once hardened heart toward love softened and he saw Kate in a different light.
Perhaps the most important scene of the series Apr. 12 episode, “KaToby,” was when Kate asked Phillip why he was dating her. What drew him to her?
He subsequently shared that he, too, had a “messy” life. Phillip spoke of his wife, who was blind. The couple had trouble conceiving. After three IVF rounds, she wanted to try for a fourth. He said no. When she left their home to live with her mother, she was hit and killed by a drunk driver.
“I am trying to be happy again, and you make me happy,” he says. “So that’s what I am doing.”
Kate is ‘with the guy she wants,’ said Chris Geere
It is not lost on Geere the importance of the role he took on, becoming Kate’s second husband after the breakdown of her marriage to Toby.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Geere explained his take on Phillip and Kate’s union.
“She’s with the guy that she wants. I hope I can portray that guy,” he said.
Despite his tough exterior, Phillip is a man that has created a facade that prevents him from being hurt again.
As a result, Geere alludes to the emotional injuries the character has suffered and the protective armor he wears.
“There’s a phrase that ‘Hurt people hurt people,’ and he’s damaged,” says Geere.
“It’s a combination of previous relationships, the current state of the world, and his obnoxious views. He’s a miserable person, but however, he’s a really nice person underneath. Chipping away at those things is going to be super fun.”
Phillip will ultimately be Kate’s ‘happily ever after’
“You’re both here.” #ThisIsUsFinalChapter pic.twitter.com/JKwqeOJsiL
— This Is Us (@NBCThisisUs) April 13, 2022
As viewers learn at the end of the episode, Kate and Phillip live a long life together.
They are together as an older couple, attending a performance in a small club by Kate’s son Jack (Blake Stadnik). Alongside the duo is Jack’s wife, Lucy (Auden Thornton), Toby (Chris Sullivan), and his wife, Laura (Alexis Krause).
Moreover, this brief scene effectively puts to rest Kate’s fate.
In short, fans believed the character died many years earlier. She wasn’t at her mother Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) bedside in a flashforward scene.
However, in “KaToby,” Kate was alive around 2043, which is speculated to be the date when Jack’s performance and ascent into the heights of the music business occurred.
Deadline reported that Kate and Phillip marry in 2026, and Rebecca’s bedside vigil occurs in 2032.
Kate and Phillip’s wedding, and all of the puzzle pieces of the Pearson family storylines, will come together during the show’s Apr. 19 episode, “Day of the Wedding.”
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
