Mandy Moore is learning to keep mum when it comes to ‘This Is Us’ story lines
Being on a hit show — a family drama that nonetheless has spawned much viewer conjecture — Mandy Moore is realizing how her every word about “This Is Us” can generate headlines and lead to intense between-the-lines examination.
“It is strange,” Moore said during a visit Thursday to The Times’ video studio. And she suspects her lips will be a little more sealed when the show returns for its sophomore season on Sept. 26.
“It will be interesting,” Moore continued. “We go back to work in … a little less than three weeks. I assume that there will be just a slight difference going into, obviously, Season 2 than Season 1. I have a feeling we’ll have to be a bit more cryptic and careful, because, yes, people tend to misconstrue things. And blow things out of proportion.”
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The NBC time-jumping drama follows a family at different stages in their lives. Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore star as the central parents, Jack and Rebecca Pearson, to a trio of children. Early in the series, it is revealed that Jack has died — but how he passes has yet to be made known.
One of the latest causes for headlines: the recent reveal that viewers will learn how Jack died in the Season 2 opener. Creator Dan Fogelman said as much during a For Your Consideration panel in Hollywood earlier this month. A tidbit that Moore has repeated in subsequent interviews.
“Dan Fogelman alluded to the fact that by the end of the first episode — although, I have not read a script yet — that more pieces of the puzzle … I don’t think the whole picture will necessarily come into focus,” Moore said during her Times visit. “But what he said that night was, a big piece of the puzzle will be revealed in the season premiere.”
But there’s another story thread that Moore, who can currently be seen on the big screen in the shark thriller “47 Meters Down,” is looking forward to peeling back the layers on: the controversial Rebecca-Miguel relationship. Die-hard fans of the Jack character, who is played by Milo Ventimiglia, have been lukewarm about the revelation that present-day Rebecca is now married to Jack’s best friend, Miguel (played by Jon Huertas).
“I want to know how Rebecca and Miguel find their way to one another,” Moore said. “And I know it’s nothing salacious. I haven’t specifically asked [Dan] the details. But myself and Jon, we’ve sort of come up with our own idea. I’m not sure if it’s going to exactly line up with Dan’s.”
And it seems she’ll have to wait to compare notes.
“I’ve heard rumors that the Miguel-Rebecca story is probably not going to unfold until Season 3.”
That’s how headlines get started.
Watch the full conversation below:
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