‘This Is Us’: Sterling K. Brown Reveals the Perfect Happy Ending for Randall
This Is Us fans eagerly anticipate how the characters’ stories will play out during the sixth and final season of the hit series. Sterling K. Brown shared his insight about the perfect happy ending for his character Randall, and no doubt fans are hoping Brown’s predictions come true.
Sterling K. Brown envisions the perfect ending for Randall on ‘This Is Us’
It’s been a journey for Randall on This Is Us and, while there have been plenty of fan theories along the way, Brown has some ideas of his own about his character’s ideal happy ending.
Naturally, Brown isn’t spoiling anything for loyal fans but has a few hopeful ideas for how Randall’s journey on the show might end. During a Jan. 3 interview for E!’s Daily Pop, Brown said he’s hoping Randall finally finds “peace” within himself.
When asked, “What does a happy ending for Randall look like, in your mind?,” Brown shared his wish for Randall. “The happy ending for Randall is more about his state of mind than it is any sort of external achievement,” the actor explained. “Randall having peace, being comfortable with who he is, knowing that he belongs wherever he is, is what I call happiness for Randall.”
Brown continued, “Because he fights so much within himself. Is he enough? Is he Black enough? Does he fit in this family? Does he fit in the Black community?”
He added, “I just want him to know that he himself is enough wherever he is. That’s what I’m wishing for Randall.”
The actor said he understands some of his character’s struggles
Brown also shed a little light on how he’s similar to his character. “I mean, I went to Stanford University, [and] a lot of us sort of suffered from what I would call perfectionism and thinking that you have to be best, but not knowing that just doing your best is enough, but being the best,” Brown explained.
He added, “I think it’s an important distinction to make. You put this extra pressure on yourself to be perfect, to be loved, even. I think that’s what Randall does.”
The actor went on to explain how Randall “put all this stuff on himself because he never felt like he was good enough.”
Brown explained, “If he was good enough, he never would have gotten left in the first place, right? So that perfectionism that he lived with is something that I struggled with for a while until I was like, hmm, this is too hard.”
The actor said his character is moving in the right direction to ease that self-imposed pressure. “You got to be a little bit more loving if you want to keep moving forward in a way that’s not debilitating,” Brown said. “I hope he gets there. I think he’s on the way.”
Sterling K. Brown teased a ‘slow burn’ for Randall’s season 6 story
In a December 2021 interview with EW, Brown discussed what’s in store for Randall in the final season of This Is Us and teased that it’s going to be a “slow burn” as the story unfolds.
In part, Randall’s daughters are growing up quickly, and he’ll face a familiar parental struggle. “What’s really interesting to me is his oldest daughter is becoming a young woman, and, like most parents, you want to keep them in this box of precociousness,” Brown shared. “Randall is going to have to learn how to adjust to that, and it’s not easy, but necessary. I really enjoy that arc very much.”
Of course, there will be a focus on Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) health and how it impacts the family. “There is a decision as to who’s going to be responsible for mom, and everybody reacts to her decision differently,” Brown explained.
He continued, “I think it’ll also be sort of lyrical. You’ll see what I mean. The train tracks will be laid in the premiere. And there will be a payoff.”
At the end of season 5, the flash-forward revealed a magazine headline that Randall is a “rising star,” but it’s not going to be clear what that means for a while. Brown didn’t reveal Randall’s career move but teased, “I can tell you it is in the realm of politics.”
He added, “I can say it’ll start to unfold once you get to episode 10. So it’s a slow burn. You’ll hear things about it as it progresses, and around [episode] 10, you’ll be like, ‘Okay, this is what’s happening.’ It’s kind of surprising.”
