‘This Is Us’: Sterling K. Brown Explains Why He Felt “Secure as an Actor” on the Show
Sterling K. Brown started his professional acting career in the early 2000s, but This Is Us gave him his big break in 2016. Playing Randall Pearson helped create opportunities for notable film roles in The Predator and Black Panther. He called the series’ 2022 end after six seasons bittersweet, but Brown felt secure as an actor because he knew This Is Us would end well all along.
Sterling K. Brown racked up awards for starring in ‘This Is Us’
Brown said filming the This Is Us series finale got ugly, but the show provided many beautiful moments during its run. Fans loved the Pearson family bond, and critics loved the performances by the actors.
The show surprisingly won just four Primetime Emmy Awards during its six-season run, and Brown took home one of them. He won for outstanding lead actor in a drama series at the 2017 Emmys. Interestingly, it was the second of three Emmys for him as he won in 2016 for his supporting actor work American Horror Story and in 2021 for narrating Lincoln: Divided We Stand.
Brown won a Golden Globe in 2018 for best performance by an actor in a television series for This Is Us. He and his castmates won Screen Actors Guild awards in 2018 and 2019 for best performance by an ensemble in a drama.
The awards certified Brown’s excellent work on This Is Us, which might have been because he felt secure as an actor from the very beginning.
Brown felt “secure as an actor” from the very beginning of ‘This Is Us’ because of the show’s careful planning
Brown implored This Is Us fans not to be sad the series ended. Those words probably didn’t carry much weight when the screen faded to black, but going out on a high note with a satisfying conclusion was the optimal way to conclude.
Brown felt secure as an actor on This Is Us because he always knew it would end well. Show creator Dan Fogelman’s careful planning practically ensured it, as he told Trevor Noah of The Daily Show (via YouTube).
“I knew it was gonna end well because he had a plan to end it in six seasons all along from the beginning. Like, the story was complete. He knew where Rebecca was going to be at the end. There was this whole timeline that he had from the beginning of season one of how things were going to play out. There was a beginning, middle, and end that made me feel secure as an actor.”
Sterling K. Brown on why he felt secure as an actor in This Is Us
Not every TV series enjoys a satisfying ending. Some hang on too long, lose steam, and peter out. This Is Us gave every character a story arc that lasted precisely as long as it needed to, and Brown felt secure as an actor having that knowledge from the outset.
Brown’s new movie is the mockumentary ‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul’
Brown displayed his dramatic acting chops for six seasons of This Is Us, but his first work after that goes in a different direction.
He stars as Lee-Curtis Childs, a disgraced megachurch pastor trying to rebuild his congregation, in the mockumentary Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Regina Hall co-stars.
Brown, Hall, Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, and Adanne Ebo, who produced the short the new movie is based on, are among the producers. Adamma Ebo, who wrote and directed the short, fills the same roles in the feature-length Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Brown is also set to star in a movie titled Biosphere and the TV mini-series Washington Black in the future.
Brown felt secure as an actor in This Is Us and turned in award-winning work, and now he’s on to the next phase of his career.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
