Can you imagine someone else playing Jack Pearson on NBC's "This Is Us"? According to Milo Ventimiglia, the actor who plays the well-loved dad on the drama series, he almost didn't land the role.
Milo Ventimiglia told Variety that the producers had a completely different actor in mind to play opposite Mandy Moore's Rebecca. He said he auditioned with a full beard and long hair, which became his character's trademark look.
'This is Us,' a hit series
The actor revealed that before "This is Us," he worked in an independent movie, as well as two television shows that didn't make the cut.
He wasn't expecting Jack Pearson to be his next biggest role.
Nor did Milo Ventimiglia expected "This is Us" to explode in the ratings. Following its debut in the fall of 2016, the series became the highest-rated new show of the season. It even topped the ratings of the long-running series "The Big Bang Theory."
'This is Us' stays on Tuesday
When the drama series returns for season 2 in the fall, "This is Us" will stay put on its original time schedule. In early May, NBC announced the show was supposed to be moving to a Thursday slot but the network executives took back this decision this week.
Like last season, "This is Us" will air right after "The Voice" and will anchor the debuting series "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders." Fans saw the move as a good thing for the show because it has already solidified its hold over the timeslot and its audience.
Switching nights could have ruined its streak.
Meanwhile, season 2 will also continue with the different time jumps featuring the Pearson family in different decades. Fans looking for more answers about Rebecca's relationship with Miguel (Jon Huertas) will also learn some answers. Miguel, Jack's best friend, became Rebecca's husband after Jack died.
Aside from Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Jon Huertas, "This is Us" also features Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Sterling K. Brown, Susan Kalechi Watson, Chris Sullivan and Ron Cephas Jones.
'This is Us' originally a movie
Creator Dan Fogelman originally planned the show as a feature film. He wanted the Pearson's story on the big screen but he struggled with the exposition of the story.
"I wanted to do this continuous story — which felt very much like the theme of the show," Fogelman told Today.
Aside from the successful ratings, fans also loved how much the show reflected stories of real-life families with themes centering on biracial adoption, motherhood, parenthood, weight issues, adult kids' relationship with their parents and marriage.
