When NBC released their trailers for their upcoming shows back in May, people quickly took notice of This Is Us, an ensemble dramedy that stars Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore as married couple Jack and Rebecca, who are expecting triplets. At the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Grants Banquet, the two spoke to Variety about what filming some of the scenes have been like.
In the first shot trailer of the trailer for the show, viewers see Ventimiglia’s bare butt and Moore appears shortly after wearing a pregnancy suit that made shooting some scenes slightly uncomfortable for the actors.
“I got to stare at his butt all day because in the scene he’s supposed to be naked, just covering his bits with a towel, because we’re supposed to be having some sexy time, so that was maybe the only awkward part. But he’s such a lovely gem of a guy and very respectful and I feel very lucky to get to work with him,” Moore said of working with Ventimiglia.
Ventimiglia also said that while the first few scenes the two of them shared may have been awkward, it’s all part of being an actor. And while it may have been awkward at first, “Mandy and I fell into it quickly. She’s committed to her work, so it was easy to jump into that role of intimacy, and being husband and wife.”
The basic premise of the show is that it follows the lives of people who share the same birthday. The show is created by Dan Fogelman, who wrote Crazy Stupid Love and Tangled, which Moore starred in as Rapunzel. He also created Galavant, which was canceled after airing two seasons on ABC.
Speaking at NBC’s TCA presentation on Tuesday, Fogelman said he’s aware of the comparisons to Parenthood, another NBC dramedy that focused on the lives of the Braverman family, that critics are giving the show, he says it’s more like a dramedy version of Lost, saying to Variety that “you have to understand how these people are connected” to see how the show will play out over time.
Fogelman also said that because of all the press that the trailer got, many well-known stars called and wanted to be a part of the show. At the TCA presentation, Fogelman revealed that Katey Sagal and Brad Garrett have been casted for roles in the show. Sagal will play a Hollywood agent for Justin Hartley’s character, Kevin, and Garrett will play a network president that Kevin also comes in contact with.
This Is Us premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. on NBC, immediately following The Voice. The show moves to its permanent 9 p.m. timeslot on Tuesday, Oct. 11.