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'This Is Us' Milo Ventimiglia Looks Back On Playing Jack Pearson

Home / Entertainment / 'This Is Us' Milo Ventimiglia Looks Back On Playing Jack Pearson

By Taylor Hodgkins on May 7, 2022 at 7:00 PM EDT
Updated on May 11, 2022 at 2:29 PM EDT

He's been giving partners everywhere a run for their money!

There's no doubt Jack Pearson, the proud papa of 'The Big Three' on "This Is Us" has perhaps served as inspiration for many to revamp their personal standards and take stock of what they're looking for in a partner since the series began airing six years ago!

The magic ingredient that has made Jack so irresistible for fans is none other than Milo Ventimiglia, and the dedication he has to his craft.

Ventimiglia is definitely no stranger to bringing TV heartthrobs to life and doing his best to fully

showcase the different aspects of the character development throughout their lives, (hello, Jess Mariano from "Gilmore Girls!") and is aware of the importance of a character's influence.

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Looking Back On Playing 'Jack'

Even if viewers were to watch only a few minutes of Ventimiglia on screen it would be easy to see how important Papa Pearson and his posthumous influence was on his family.

As "This Is Us" begins airing its final episodes, Ventimiglia is taking time to reflect on those factors which have made Jack Pearson one of the most memorable dads in TV history.

Jack's influence is not lost on Ventimiglia at all, whatsoever.

Speaking to "The Awardist" podcast via People magazine, Ventimiglia shared, "I think it's wonderful to know that there's a fictional character like Jack, hopefully inspiring the real guys out there that have these golden hearts to send some good into the lives of people around them."

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A Big Secret To Ventimiglia's Swoon-Worthy Performance

One of the biggest elements to Jack Pearson's enduring legacy is the great amount of care Ventimiglia put into making sure his performance is believable and translates on-screen in the best way possible.

Ventimiglia's chemistry with his TV wife Mandy Moore was important for him to nail. So much so to the point where he and Moore "Almost took vows" before shooting began!

According to an interview the actor did with Jimmy Fallon via Insider, Ventimiglia noted he and Moore told one another "I promise to always communicate. I promise to not be happy until you're happy. I will always look out for you." Swoon!

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Realism Is Key

Vowing to keep his performance as Jack as authentic as he possibly could also called for Ventimiglia to remain honest with his outlook on his character.

He was frank when speaking to "The Awardist" about how he views Jack.

He said, "There have been moments where I don't agree with his actions personally. I would have handled things differently. But I'm sure there's things-if he were real and he were looking at my life- he'd wonder why I made that decision."

The situations Jack had found himself in and his subsequent reactions to them help make the character remain down to Earth and keeps him from being buried too deeply into fantasy.

Ventimiglia is strongly aware of Jack's authenticity as well and knows that it can, perhaps, set him apart from many other fictitious fathers and spouses.

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"I think, in those complexities," he added, "and in those complications of life, [they] make him very human and make him very relatable."

Ventimiglia then revealed a key element to why Jack Pearson has been so beloved among fans!

"I think if [Jack] were too true, too perfect, he'd be unrealistic. he'd be unattainable."

The elements of Jack's character have long been present in his children throughout the series' run, particularly in plotlines involving his sons Kevin and Randall; yet another element of what makes the Pearson papa a powerful figure.

"This Is Us" and its delicate decade-spanning storytelling will come to a close on May 24th which will allow viewers to soon have a completed story of the Pearsons' lives for lots of eternal streaming and for shedding some of those inevitable tears!

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