WEBVTT - MANDY MOORE: This is Next 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:07.160 How's everyone doing on this cold winter day. I know 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:10.400 there are many many things to dislike about this time 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.720 of year, but there are so many things to love 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:17.120 about it, like making snow angels are going sledding if 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:20.360 you live in an area with snow, or endless cups 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:24.240 of your favorite hot beverage warming you from the inside out. 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:28.760 There's books to read and puzzles to put together unless 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:30.240 you've got a five year old like I do, and 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:34.639 then the puzzle pieces disappear, and games that you never 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:37.920 have time for. Shoots and Ladders is the big one 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:42.479 in our house these days. How about extra snuggles with 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:47.360 your babies or your fur babies. There are so many activities, experiences, 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.760 and things that are only possible when shorter days keep 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:56.320 us inside longer and cooler temperatures make that time more inviting. 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:00.680 I hope that if you feel a little down or loomy, 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:03.720 you can find something to love about this season we're 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.840 in right now, because that is the best way to 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.360 chase away the winner blues. Well. That and walking. If 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:12.440 I can get in a good walk every day, even 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:16.360 if it's raining, I am so much happier. Maybe this 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.560 podcast is one of those things you can save her 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.520 and enjoy I sure hope. So that is my goal, 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:25.440 after all, to spread a little joy and a lot 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:27.880 of love and a lot of light into some of 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:31.680 the dark places of our world. Right now, my guest 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:35.440 today will definitely help too. She's an Emmy, Grammy and 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:41.560 Golden Globe nominated actress, singer, and songwriter who became famous 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:45.200 at the age of fifteen with her debut pop single 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:54.160 Candy and her platinum albums So Real. After releasing multiple 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.400 chart toppers, she made the move from stage to screen, 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:02.240 starring as Lanta Thomas in the comedy film The Princess 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:07.320 Diaries and Jamie Sullivan in the gut wrenching A Walk 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:09.720 to Remember and several more in the early to mid 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:13.880 two thousand's, But since twenty sixteen, many of us know 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:19.000 her as Rebecca Pearson from the hit NBC family drama 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:23.399 series This Is Us. That's how I fell in love 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:27.600 with her. I am obviously not alone. I can't wait 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.400 to ask her a thousand questions about her role on 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.440 my favorite show of all time, as well as whether 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.880 the rumors I hear of new music are true. First, 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:39.640 they'll let me give proper credit to a star of 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.520 this show first. One of my podcast sponsors that makes 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:46.640 this all possible. Dry Dull Winter Skin got you down. 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.840 I've discovered a favorite product from Laura Geller that moisturizes 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:57.360 and brightens spackle skin perfecting primer in Hydrate or Champagne Glow. 0:02:57.960 --> 0:03:01.440 It rejuvenates and hydrates your complex action no matter the season. 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:05.320 If you're looking for a foundation that's super moisturizing, try 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:10.440 Laura Geller's quench In Tint hydrating foundation that's infused with 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:14.839 plumping higher allonic acid to lock in hydration. You might 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:19.320 also want to try their Speckle mist Restore with coconut water. 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:23.200 It sets and refreshes your makeup throughout the day. Find 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:27.560 all their wonderful products when you visit Laura Geller dot com. 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:31.359 With me on our new episode of Love Someone. Uh. 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:34.920 And I just confessed off the air. Uh. But it's 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.480 gonna be hard for me to have this conversation without 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:42.480 just gushing and drooling because I am such a fan girl. 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:47.200 Mandy Moore, Welcome to Delilah's Love Someone. Hello, I'm so 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.040 happy to be here. So we've got a lot to 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.200 cover because you've got music that came out right before 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.560 COVID that we didn't ever get to connect on You've 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.240 got music that's about to come out, and you've been 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.960 a little busy, you know, out with that little TV 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.040 show that Please tell me they were lying when they 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:09.240 said this is the last year. I wish, I wish 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:12.280 it wasn't the truth. But yes, we're we're about halfway 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.360 through with our final season, season six. I hate that 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.800 word final, you and me both. I mean, this has 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:22.159 just been like the best job I've ever had, and 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:26.080 I've been in the industry for twenty one years. It's 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.880 going to be so challenging to say goodbye to the character. 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:32.800 But also, like my friends, I get just like go 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:37.080 to work every single day with with like my family, 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.520 and we've been a family from the very beginning, and 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:41.360 the idea that I'm not going to see those faces 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:45.480 every day is just gutting to me. So there was 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:49.040 a woman who called into a radio show, not even 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.039 my radio show, my girlfriend Linda, who was on the 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:56.800 air in um Worcester, Massachusetts. A woman called in who 0:04:56.920 --> 0:05:00.280 had been kicked out of her parents home h as 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:03.960 a teenager, and she had had some really hard times 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.320 and she said, you know, if I had known it 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.400 was my last night, I would have enjoyed it more. 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:13.680 And Lyndash I listened, you know, I was listening to 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:16.840 her show and I heard that, and then she shared it. 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.320 You know, when we got together and talked about how 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:23.000 impactful that was for her, and we kind of made 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:26.520 a pact, our little circle of friends that we would 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:31.120 face every day based on that phone call. Because you 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:34.000 don't know when it's going to be your last. But 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:35.800 this girl said, if I know it was my last 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:40.160 night at home, I would have enjoyed it more. Goodness, 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:43.120 that is so heartbreaking. Yeah, I mean, isn't that sort 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:46.120 of the trick of being human as trying to be 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:50.800 as present as possible And it's it's indefinitely hard, Like 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:53.200 I I struggle with it every day. But yes, I 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:56.920 give you that gift because you know it's your last season, unless, yes, 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:00.760 the network decides to get smart and with a good thing. 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:04.400 You know, Can I just put a vote as it's 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:07.880 up for a vote. So let me let me tell you, 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:09.960 Mandy Moore, how I discovered you and fell in love 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:13.200 with you. I had adopted a young boy out of 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.760 foster care. He was twelve when we got him, and 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:20.600 he had had a really really horrible experience. He had 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:23.559 been in foster care most of his life, bounced around 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.200 to eight or ten different homes, and had a pretty 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:30.200 tough exterior, And so I thought it would be good 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.160 to get him involved in our youth group at a church. 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:37.440 And so the youth group decided to go see a 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:42.960 movie at the local theater. And my tough, really tough 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:51.440 exterior son came home like's not crying that movie? You 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.600 gotta go see? You what to remember, Mom, but take 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:59.159 a lot of tissue. Like he was still crying when 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:02.960 he got home, And I'm like, wow, Like what touched 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:06.120 him so deeply? I wanted to know? So, like the 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:10.040 next day, I call a couple of my dearest friends 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:13.280 and we went to see a walk to Remember. I'm 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:15.920 so floored. You were like two years older than him 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:17.520 or three years older than him at the time you 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.320 started in that right, How old were your seventeen? I was, 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.120 I was sixteen. I turned seventeen in the middle of filming. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:25.400 He will to this day if you ask him what 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:29.360 movie touched him the most, it was you and the 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:34.200 character you played, and for some reason, just that reality 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.560 that life's not fair, like he knew, he knew that 0:07:37.640 --> 0:07:41.000 life wasn't fair, but I don't think he had words 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:43.680 to put with it. And I don't know seeing your 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:47.200 character and seeing what you faced in the and I 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:50.040 know that was a character, but but you played it 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:54.120 so convincingly that it touched my heart. And and so 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.760 from that moment on, I was a fan girl. And 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:00.800 then I went back and and just ever your music, 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.480 what you had released as a couple of years before, 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.800 and uh, and and and then I've just followed you 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:12.720 all along Princess Diaries and everything. Oh my goodness, I 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:16.920 am so flattered. Wow. Yeah, for some reason, that movie 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:20.720 in particular, Oh my gosh, it's actually the twentieth anniversary 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.760 of that movie this year. It really had just it 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.760 resonated then and continued somehow to resonate with with folks. 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.680 I think the idea of, you know, having someone recognize 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.359 the goodness in you that you may not see in yourself, 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:40.640 the idea of being able to change, Like, there's just 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:44.000 so many themes I think that like feels so universal 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:48.120 to people that they have really just like taken that 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.120 film to heart. And uh, it's it's fun to watch 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:56.439 like younger folks discover it even now. It's it's amazing. Well, 0:08:56.720 --> 0:09:00.960 you play a character that that's kind of old. Yes, 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.520 I do, Like right now, your character and this is 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:07.520 Us is seventy right, Yeah, I get to play the 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:11.680 matriarch character on the show. Yeah that I I get 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:15.280 to play this this woman from her mid twenties to 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:19.199 her mid eighties and everything in between. It's it's an 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:23.520 incredible um gift to be able to to portray this 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.160 woman at so many different junctures of her life. I 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:28.920 get to work with all of the actors, all of 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.640 the different ages of the children portrayed, from like babies 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:37.720 to adults. It's it's a dream. Well, you play it 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:41.960 so convincingly that when I was doing research for this interview, 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:46.240 I was shocked to remember. And I had a traumatic 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:48.960 experience a few years ago, so my memory is gone. 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.560 I'm almost as bad as your character in the movie. 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:56.680 But I was shocked to remember that you could be 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:02.960 my child in real life. Now, in in the TV show, 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:06.400 you're ten years older than me almost of the day, 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:10.320 but in real life, you could be one of my children. 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:14.720 And I was like, how do you play a seventy 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:18.880 year old woman so convincingly? Oh, you're very kind. I 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:23.040 have to say so much of the physical transformation I 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.439 think is a huge part of it. I I go 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:29.679 through about three and a half hours of prosthetic hair 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:32.760 and makeup, um with you know, to sort of go 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:36.240 through the aging process to play Rebecca Pearson and her 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:38.920 seventies and so I can interact with my adult children. 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:42.200 That helps. It also gives me like the you know, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.400 the three and a half hours to sort of get 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:49.200 into that frame of mind. I mean, because normally there's something, 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.640 you know, undoubtedly emotional going on, so just be the 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:57.560 time to sort of just zen out and think about 0:10:57.679 --> 0:10:59.800 who I am, where I am, what I've lived through 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:03.560 at this point in my life. And I I love it. 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.080 So Often people are like, oh my gosh, how do 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:08.000 you go through, you know, hours and hours of pir 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.240 and makeup. I think we've this season alone already done 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:14.280 it over twenty times. Um, it's a lot of hours 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:17.480 of my life. But I I really like look forward 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:19.760 to that time. Actually, I think it does help me 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:22.800 sort of prepare and mentally get in the right frame 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:26.720 of mind to approach today's work. But yeah, I think 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.040 the physical transformation has so much to do with it. 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:33.520 I was really nervous initially because I remember the very 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.480 first scene in the first season for them to sort 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:40.000 of really uh give the sums up that this was 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:42.720 going to be something that worked. Instead of potentially hiring 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:44.720 an actress who was a little bit older than me 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.760 to portray the character, um, I had to interact in 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.400 a scene with ron Cephas Jones, who is quite a 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:52.320 bit older than me. He's not quite as old as 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.240 he was playing, but he's you know, a fair bit 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:58.200 older than me. And I was so nervous to have 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.800 to you know, get made up and do this very 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:05.640 emotional scene with him. But somehow it worked. And now 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:09.880 it feels so comfortable to sort of slip on those 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.720 shoes and and to be that woman at that age 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.400 and a place in her life, even even though she's 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:21.120 in the midst of dealing with dementia and Alzheimer's and 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:23.320 and everything that sort of comes along with it. It's 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.600 a yeah, this this season is a real doozy for 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:30.440 all of us. Well for anybody who has not seen 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.920 this is us. Um, they're just they're missing out on 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:40.640 such such a treat, in such an emotional roller coaster. 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.319 I told you I have many children that are adopted. 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:49.640 So I love the the care with which the adoption 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:53.040 stories are threaded throughout. But I have to tell you, 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.240 it was hard for me to forgive your character there 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:58.200 for a while when she didn't tell Randol the truth. 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:02.760 I almost broke up with you over that. I was like, 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:07.280 how could you, um, how could you hide such a 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:12.640 huge truth from him? But being an adoptive mom and 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:17.680 being in the adoption community so much, there are there 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:21.440 are times where you ask yourself, you know, is is 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:24.360 this a truth that I should share? Or is this 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:31.000 something that would hurt my child? Or so I forgave you. No, 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:33.920 I had to forgive her as well. I mean, that's 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.760 the thing about playing a character when you often don't 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:39.320 agree with all the choices that they make. And that's 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.640 such the truth of this show is, you know, the 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:46.520 Pearsons are not a perfect family. They're human, they're fallible. 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.319 They make choices that we're not all going to agree 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:53.360 with the way that they handle their life. But ultimately 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:57.600 they're trying to be, you know, the best version of themselves, 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.520 and they live and they learn and and Repelta is 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:05.400 a seriercely loyal matriarch. She loves her family, She puts 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:09.440 her family before everything else, and that was a you know, 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:14.160 a particularly challenging part of the character, especially in the beginning, 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.680 to sort of forgive her and allow myself to like 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:21.400 to hold space for her and have grace for this this, 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:25.040 you know, what I presumed to be a big mistake, 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.760 that she had been, this lie she had been living 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:31.320 for you know, over thirty years of her life. But um, 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:33.800 but it certainly is fun to sort of take all 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.960 of the colors of who these people are and sort 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:40.160 of flash it on the canvas. Every day. How many 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:43.400 days a week do you guys shoot five days a 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:48.800 week and months out of the year, long days, long days? Yes, 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.040 Because I I would watch and I go, did they 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.200 like shoot this? Because you know, you're in the same room, 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:59.120 in the same costume, in the same conversation two years later, 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.520 and I'm a detailed person. So I look at all 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.640 the details. I look at the decorations, I look at 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.360 the cops that you serve, the tang in. I look 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:12.280 at all that because that was my generation. So I'm 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.360 sitting there going, I remember that. I remember that. I 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:18.360 remember that, And then I think, do they like? They go, Okay, 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:21.360 we're gonna shoot all of the scenes from the fire 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.520 all at the same time. I wish we did. It 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.320 never happens that way. And the funny thing about our 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:31.560 show as well, it's like, no one should ever assume 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:33.680 if they're just coming on and they have one line 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:38.200 in an episode that that's it. There's very often a 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:40.280 chance that they might be brought in and have an 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:44.520 entire episode built around them. Like it's been wild to 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:48.200 watch that, And yes, uh, it's so often you think like, okay, 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:51.640 we're we're done with that scene, and to three seasons 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:55.200 later you'll revisit that exact same time period with the 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.080 exact same costume and sort of have to you know, 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.480 sort of file through the filing cabinet and go back 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:02.760 to that that particular time and go, Okay, I need 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:06.680 to like place myself back there again, because here we are. 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.600 It's important. And the kids, the kids have now the 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:12.760 first set of kids have aged out, because I see 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.480 this season it's another set of kids, and yet they're 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.880 they're they're they're able to get into character as well 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:22.360 as the first set of kids. Yeah, at six years 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:27.120 old too. It's just unbelievable. We're so lucky. We we 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:30.480 have never had a bad apple, like from the very top. 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:34.520 Um uh from from our boss who created a show, Dan, 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:38.160 it's sort of a trickle down effect. No, everybody is 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.560 just fantastic and the kid actors are so much fun. 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:46.000 They are also patients. Um. Yeah, I can't say enough 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:48.720 good good stuff about everybody. Well, you guys do a 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:53.520 phenomenal job. And your character in the show is a 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:56.360 young woman who wants to be a singer. You went 0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:58.560 to California when you went to l A and the 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:03.520 record producer said you're great for Pittsburgh. Yeah, it's good. 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:10.280 That line broke my heart, I gotta say, but I 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:15.760 love that throughout the storyline you put your career on 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.280 the back burner so that you can focus on your triplets, 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:22.119 on the three kids. Um. And I think a lot 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:27.399 of women who do that have a lot of mixed 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:32.119 emotions joy to be with their kids, anger or resentment 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.040 that they, you know, put that part of their life 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:40.560 on hold. And um. In real life, you are quite 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:44.439 an accomplished singer performer. That was that happened before the 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:46.919 acting happened. Do you ever feel like you had to 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.720 put your music on hold for for this baby of 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:54.720 this is us? Or no, it's it's funny, I think 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:57.760 had it. I started off in the music industry, you know, 0:17:57.800 --> 0:17:59.919 when I was fifteen years old, and that's sort of 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:03.720 what opened all of the doors for the Princess Diaries 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:05.879 and A Walk to Remember and all of the acting 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:10.040 things that subsequently came after that. And there was a 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:13.280 period of my life where music was really dormant for 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:15.680 about almost a decade or a little over a decade. 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:18.760 And I think it really was the gift of This 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:22.680 is Us and Dan Fogelman and our writers that decided 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:27.600 to sort of infuse my character's backstory with music because 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:32.880 it unlocked something and me again that I really couldn't ignore, 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:35.600 which was that music is a huge part of who 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:37.720 I am. It's a huge part of my identity, and 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:41.760 I missed it and I just needed some way to 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.600 sort of find, you know, find my way back to 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:49.200 myself for that part of myself. When when when COVID hit, 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:53.200 you guys had some challenges with filming everything we did. 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:55.639 I read some of the rigamarole you had to go 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:57.320 through just to be on the set, just to be 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:01.320 able to shoot. And you were pregnant then, yeah, I 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:03.639 was pregnant. I was five months pregnant when we went 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:09.600 back um and started season five, and um, it was 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:12.119 it sort of felt like the wild West because you know, 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:16.960 it was pre vaccines, still sort of understanding what COVID meant, 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:20.040 and we were one of the first shows or productions 0:19:20.040 --> 0:19:21.920 at least in Los Angeles to go back to work. 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:24.840 So there were tons of protocol, most of which is 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:28.080 still very much in place to this day of you know, 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:31.400 the ppe that everybody had to wear, we test multiple 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.639 times a week. Um. But yeah, it made it feel 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:40.240 a little, um crazier just because I was pregnant. UM. 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:42.520 But oddly like once we've sort of gotten the flow 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.199 of things, I felt safe for being at work than 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.960 I did pretty much anywhere else besides like being at home, 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:50.840 just because there was you know, we were surrounded by 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:55.840 folks in masks and shields and so much for cautions 0:19:55.880 --> 0:20:00.080 were taken. Um. But it does make things tough in 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.359 the sense that you know, I remember in the early days, 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:06.320 one you know, positive case would potentially shut the whole 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:08.439 show down for like a week in a time or 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.399 something until we started to understand the virus more and 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:15.280 how things spread. But but it's still challenging. I mean, 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:17.960 we were just I'm directing an episode this season, and 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:21.520 we were just up in San Francisco and one positive 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:24.719 case sort of had the trickle effective, like well, this 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:26.879 person was around this person and around this person, and 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:29.040 it kind of like wiped everybody out and we ended 0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:31.520 up having to come home a day early. So it's, uh, 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:36.359 it's certainly not ideal. It's better now, but um, but yeah, 0:20:36.359 --> 0:20:39.840 it's it's a strange days to be shooting during this, 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:45.359 this era of of COVID. So, um, how far in 0:20:45.440 --> 0:20:48.320 advance of shooting an episode, do you guys know what's 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:50.479 going to happen in the episode? Like, do you know 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:56.240 what happens in this season? Are you? Oh? Yes, how 0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:59.960 it all ends. We've actually shot part of the very 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:04.600 very last episode a couple of seasons ago, so yes, 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:06.800 we're we're in the know. I mean, I think it's 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:09.600 important for all of us to sort of be able 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:13.120 to understand the journey that we're on, like it informs 0:21:13.880 --> 0:21:15.760 how do you keep it a secret? Like how do 0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:17.840 you keep it a secret? If you and I were buddies, 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:20.480 if we were friends, there is no way I would 0:21:20.560 --> 0:21:22.240 let you keep that a secret from me. I would 0:21:22.280 --> 0:21:25.359 like cook you your favorite foods. I would have a 0:21:25.359 --> 0:21:32.919 glass of wine give you. My friends know that. Do 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:35.960 they ever use that to their advantage? I think in 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:39.600 earlier seasons, But at this point everybody's like no, no, no, no, no, 0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:41.679 especially my family. My family used to want to know, 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:44.520 and now they're they're sort of of of the minds like, no, 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:47.160 we want to sort of watch it unfold with everybody 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:50.359 else and be surprised. And so yeah, I'm I'm pretty 0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:53.080 good at at staying tight lipped. Well, I hope it 0:21:53.119 --> 0:21:56.840 has happy endings, because if I have been married to 0:21:56.880 --> 0:21:59.560 you guys for six years now and then it ends 0:21:59.600 --> 0:22:04.919 with you know, it'll make you feel good. I promise. Okay, okay, 0:22:05.040 --> 0:22:08.600 Well I would watch anyway because I don't have it. 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:11.040 We don't have TV in our house and I don't 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:14.080 let my kids have very much screen time at all. 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:19.200 But you are my guilty pleasure. Oh well, I am honored. 0:22:19.240 --> 0:22:24.760 Thank you. So back to music. You had an album 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:29.800 that you released like the week that COVID hit. Yes, ma'am. Yeah, 0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:33.800 good timing there, great timing there. Yeah, I mean who 0:22:34.000 --> 0:22:35.959 was who was to know what was about to hit us? 0:22:36.000 --> 0:22:39.480 So I made my first record was called Silver Landing's 0:22:39.560 --> 0:22:43.159 first record in over a decade. We were four days 0:22:43.200 --> 0:22:46.520 away from hitting the road for my first tour since 0:22:46.560 --> 0:22:50.000 two thousand and seven. I wrote the entire album with 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:53.000 my husband. He played on it, he was in my band, 0:22:53.880 --> 0:22:56.880 and yes, the record came out and the next week 0:22:56.920 --> 0:22:59.919 the world sort of shut down, so it was wild. 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:02.359 We were actually in New York. We did Today's show, 0:23:03.040 --> 0:23:06.120 we had done Fallon, and it was funny. In between 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:09.600 the time that we got to Fallon and and sound checked. 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:12.760 I remember them telling us, like, you guys at the 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:16.600 last show with an audience, because starting next week on Monday, like, 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:20.280 we're taping without an audience, And I remember all of 0:23:20.320 --> 0:23:22.199 us thinking like, wow, that's crazy. We got in right 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:24.840 under the wire by the time sound check rolled around, 0:23:25.119 --> 0:23:27.960 and then the time we started filming, they were like, actually, 0:23:28.119 --> 0:23:31.520 there's no audience and we're getting like the heck out 0:23:31.520 --> 0:23:33.280 of Dodge as soon as we're done taping the show, 0:23:33.440 --> 0:23:37.840 and I remember we performed for a completely empty theater. 0:23:38.240 --> 0:23:41.480 Jimmy Fallon had already left to go home, and I 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:43.760 don't think they none of the crew like they that 0:23:43.880 --> 0:23:45.800 nobody showed back up to that theater. I thinks for 0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:49.080