JB Lacroix/WireImageIt's been two months since her divorce was finalized, and Mandy Moore is doing "fantastic." During Tuesday's This Is Us panel at the Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills, the 32-year-old actress spoke for the first time about her split from Ryan Adams, her husband of nearly six years. "It's tough. Life is not easy," she admitted. "I think it's been great to be able to take all of the chapters in my life and be able to pour it into a job like this because it all helps. It's all fuel."
Moore didn't divulge the details of her breakup with Adams, 41—that's not her style—but she did explain how it's affected her work. "I think everything happens for a reason," she said. "I think I spent a good portion of the last years of my life really pouring all of my energy into my life and relationship, and now that that's sort of not part of my life any more. It's just not a coincidence to me that things sort of opened back up, and I'm able to focus back on myself again."
The couple announced their split in January 2015. "It is a respectful, amicable parting of ways and both Mandy and Ryan are asking for media to respect their privacy at this time," a rep told E! News. When their divorce was finalized, E! News learned neither party is receiving spousal support. Moore is keeping their Griffith Park home, their Beverly Hills condo and a 2012 Prius. Adams is keeping his comic book collection, arcade games, a 2008 Porsche Carrera and a 1959 Cadillac. The exes are keeping their publishing rights for music created during their marriage.
Meanwhile, Moore said Tuesday that she's excited for fans to see This Is Us, premiering Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. on NBC. The show—which stars Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz and Milo Ventimiglia—is Moore's first to receive a series pickup in years. "It was sort of a soul-crushing thing to be a part of pilot season year after year and for things not to move forward. Not to sound cheesy, but I'm a big believer that things happen for a reason," the actress said. "I read [this] script in October of last year and was immediately like, 'I will do whatever I can to be a part of this.' I'm thrilled this is the one that's moving forward and I get to be a part of this incredible cast."
With her divorce out of the way, Moore can focus on her new dramedy full-time.
But what about her life as a pop star?
"I'm not working on anything at the moment, but once this gets up and running, I want to go back to music," the "I Wanna Be With You" singer said. "I think life sort of put it on the backburner. Acting and being in film, trying to do television, has always been a huge priority and it was the thing that—the ball was rolling the most. Even though I started in music, I feel like it continued to give me way more opportunities than music did. Now that I feel like this part of my life is percolating and up and running again, it'll allow me creatively to focus back on the music."
Adams has inspired several songs. "I've been writing for the last seven years since I put out a record, so I have a trough of music to choose from," she said. "I also feel like a lot has happened in the last two years of my life that I want to be able to put into music and it'll be cathartic."
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