This Is Us is one of the most-buzzed about shows on TV, reaching fans from all corners of the Earth, even its stars.
At a panel for the show at the ATX TV Festival, star Milo Ventimiglia revealed the moments from season one that really got to him—and the fan interactions that have struck a chord.
"Look, there are a million moments, I don't find myself crying for Jack," Ventimiglia said about the scenes that get him. But what really got him and left him "absolutely crushed me for a few days," was William's (Ron Cephas Jones) passing. Another particularly moving moment: Kate (Chrissy Metz) at the weight loss camp when she had her break through about moments in her life—the moment fans first saw Jack's funeral.
"Things like that make me cry," he said.
Something else that can get to him? Fans. While Ventimiglia is no stranger to a fanbase—he did star on Gilmore Girls and Heroes after all—he said there have been some interactions with This Is Us fans that have struck a chord. Particularly one moment when he and Metz were returning from a Berlin trip. "There was one gal that walked up to me," he said. She just wanted to thank him. Ventimiglia said she said, "'My husband and I adopted a boy and my husband had a really hard time with him.'"
She then showed him photos and said, he said she told him "I just want to thank you for your portrayal," referring to Jack's relationship with Randall (Sterling K. Brown/Lonnie Chavis) on the series.
"I'm really trying to keep myself together," he said about the interaction. "We introduce ourselves and she just kind of walks away."
Ventimiglia said the show's ability to "impact people in their lives" always gets him.
And then there was the fan interaction where a young woman, who had had a few drinks Ventimiglia said, talked to him about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life's cliffhanger ending that featured Rory (Alexis Bledel)—Spoiler Alert!—pregnant.
"I said OK what's going on," he said. "She said, ‘It's Jess' baby right?' I just go, ‘No.' She said, ‘No, it is.' I said, ‘No, it's not. It's really not.'" And to that, the fan wagged her finger at him.
"I'm grateful for fan interactions. Again I love being part of something that's inspiring people, to want to open up dialogue," he said.
This Is Us will return to NBC on Tuesdays this fall.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)