‘This Is Us’ Season 6: Milo Ventimiglia Reveals How Mandy Moore Supported Him During Episode 4’s Final Scene

Once fans learned that This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 would focus on Jack dealing with his mother’s death, they knew that they were in for an emotional ride. Milo Ventimiglia had a heartbreakingly beautiful performance in the episode. But it was the final scene that tugged at the heartstrings the most, and, thankfully for Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore helped him immensely on the day of filming.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4, “Don’t Let Me Keep You.”]

Jack’s mother dies in ‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Episode 4

Jack learned at the end of This Is Us Season 6 Episode 3 that his mother, Marilyn, died. So, in episode 4, he traveled alone to Ohio for the funeral. But once Jack got there, he realized that there were many things that he didn’t know about his mother. Marilyn had a cat named Cat Benatar, a loving boyfriend, and a community that supported her.

Of course, this made Jack feel guilty for not visiting more. But, as the episode went on, it was clear why Jack and Marilyn couldn’t have much of a relationship once he moved her out of his abusive father’s house. His father, Stanley, would always hover over them. And they had to create homes for themselves once they left him. Jack had Rebecca and the kids, and Marilyn had Debbie and Mike.

The last scene of This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 showed Jack and Rebecca returning home with the kids. Jack made Kevin, Kate, and Randall tomato soup and hot dogs — his mother’s specialty. But once he served the food, Jack became overwhelmed with emotions. He had to excuse himself, and Rebecca followed him into the other room. She put her hand on his shoulder, and Jack, with tears in his eyes, said, “I don’t have a mom anymore.”

Mandy Moore helped Milo Ventimiglia in the final scene of ‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Episode 4

After “Don’t Let Me Keep You” aired, Milo Ventimiglia discussed the emotional episode with TVLine. And the actor revealed how Mandy Moore supported him while shooting the final scene.

“I remember when we moved to the next sequence where Jack actually has to excuse himself, and he’s in the other room, I remember Mandy just saying like, ‘Milo, what can I do for you, what do you need?'” Ventimiglia shared. “And I was like, ‘Just let me know that you’re there, you know?'”

He added, “But I think the man that Jack is, the product of the ’40s that he is, the man who went to war in the early ’70s, you know, he’s never going to show his emotion. So, knowing that his kids are in the other room and his wife is in there and all of that, he’d still keep his back to them because he’d never want them to see it.”

Ventimiglia even equated the final scene of season 6 episode 4 to another moment in This Is Us. He said, “It’s like season 3, I think, when they’re in the car and Rebecca’s singing a song, and he has to turn away because he doesn’t want her to see how emotional that makes him. That’s just 100 percent Jack.”

“So I was like, ‘Hey, just let me know that you’re there,’ and cameras rolled and we stepped in, and I think I was on edge to begin with because of what we’d already filmed for the episode and working myself up for it,” Ventimiglia continued. “And Mandy walked in and put her hand on my shoulder, and I turned around, and that was the scene.”

Milo Ventimiglia teases Jack’s ending

Since This Is Us is ending after season 6, fans want to know if more revelations about Jack’s character will arise after episode 4.

Milo Ventimiglia told Variety, “I think Jack is just consistently there no matter what. He’s there in the kids’ behavior. He’s there in the kids’ actions, whether they’re talking about him or not. There may not be much we’re going to learn about Jack, but I think the thing to know is that he’s always there. And going toward the end, we saw Jack’s end, we’ll get to understand where the true Jack’s end is when we get there in April.”

This Is Us Season 6 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.