One of the few success stories on network TV this season is NBC’s wildly popular This Is Us. The show has breathed new life into the careers of Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia, and it’s making stars out of relative newcomers Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz, who play brother and sister. The story also includes another brother, played by Sterling K. Brown, who was already an extraordinary journeyman actor before this show came around. The show is already being called the weekly cry-fest, and it’s good to see a network do a solid, scripted family-driven drama. Anyway, this story is about Chrissy Metz. Metz is a plus-sized actress, and there’s a storyline on the show where her character is trying to lose weight, and she decides to get gastric bypass surgery. As Metz does press for the show, she’s been saying that it’s in her contract that she has to lose weight over the course of the show to play this character, so that everything will look realistic. People have been side-eyeing the sh-t out of Metz, NBC and the show’s producers because of that too. And now Metz has been sent out to do some damage control.
Chrissy Metz wants to clarify that her This Is Us contract does not say she has to lose weight. The 37-year-old actress had previously revealed to PEOPLE that she would have to go on the same weight loss journey as her character Kate does on the show.
“It’s definitely a conversation that we’ve had, and it’s in my contract,” she said, emphasizing that both she and Kate would be shaping up “in a healthy manner.”
But while chatting with PEOPLE at the 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball in Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Friday, Metz clarified her previous comments.
“It wasn’t mandated in the contract, and I probably — if I ever said the word contract, I didn’t mean it in that way,” she said. “I was pitched that the trajectory of Kate is that she’s going to lose weight. That is who and what’s going on.”
While her character Kate decided to get gastric bypass surgery on the show, Metz was clear that the weight loss isn’t mandated and that she doesn’t have to get to a particular size. But she’s looking forward to the challenge of losing weight, and feels motivated by the show.
“Why not have a motivation beyond me to get to a healthy weight?” she said. “Every actor does that. We’re chameleons. We change, we grow as an actor… you lose weight, you gain weight, you change your hair or whatever.”
Metz said that she “wasn’t surprised” by the traction her initial comments received – noting that, other than Melissa McCarthy on Mike and Molly, women her size haven’t been represented often on network television.
“It’s like all people want to talk about is my weight,” she said. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is weird.’”
My guess is that NBC freaked out when she started saying she was contractually obligated to lose weight, because A) it’s not in her contract or B) there is some gentle wording in her contract and NBC doesn’t want to publicly step into that minefield of being called out for body-policing their talent. While I understand that Metz is a unique situation, I also think it’s a terrible precedent to set for any show or network to dictate (contractually or otherwise) weight loss or weight gain for their actors. And I mean, what are they going to do if she doesn’t lose weight? Recast her with Hilary Duff?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
My new fave show. I love her. She’s a great actress and her struggle is very realistic. If she loses weight then great and if she doesn’t, she’s still a great actress. The realism is that instead of fat-padding a slim actress, they hired a big girl. Can you imagine how annoying it would be if she goes and does the gastric bypass surgery on the show and Season 2 there is this tiny little thing who just wore fat-padding? I’d be pissed.
The scene in which she gets on the scale and takes off her earrings is one of the best, most realistic and heartbreaking moments I have ever seen on television.
It is such a rarity for a overweight woman to be somewhat realisically portrayed on TV, I really hope they won’t screw this up.
I agree, I love her and her storyline! It’s the most interesting part of the show for me. I don’t recall another show that has accurately portrayed dieting like this? Usually it’s just reality shows like Biggest Loser.
Agreed. The performances on this show are outstanding and she’s just spectacular. I’m so glad we get to experience her talent every week.
Um, its a tv show. Just like people hve been gaining weight for roles for years, it’s not insane to have an actress lose weight for a show if it’s being discussed/handled in the script itself. Why is it only body policing when it’s weight loss?
If NBC is willing to give her the extra motivation to lose weight (which from her own comments quoted above sounds like she herself sees as a positive thing) then why do we have to turn it into something negative? I’d say its body policing to try to stop her from wanting to lose weight and from doing it for work if it’s something she wants, which she clearly said it is.
+1
Interesting and I definitely think it’s B — there’s something in her contract, she stepped in it by ever mentioning this publicly, and like Kaiser says has been sent out to do damage control.
I’m not that bugged by the idea of her losing weight for the role. Seems similar to when Matthew Mc lost all the weight for Dallas Buyers Club or Charlize gaining for Tully.
If the actress wishes to lose weight for herself, then great. But I stopped watching the show because the character hates herself so much.
But I don’t think the character does. Each and every one of these characters are three-dimensional (that’s why it’s such a great show). She struggles with self-love and body image, but Randall struggles with self-love and acceptance for he is as a black person adopted into a white family. Kevin struggles with self-love and crippling doubt about his place and meaning in the world.
She’s beautiful and she’s slaying the sh!t out of that red lip.
Was just going to say. She’s gorgeous.
she’s beautiful. i love her.
It sounds to me like she wants to lose weight, and that’s where her storyline is going so this will give her extra motivation. Plus she’s right, people lose or gain weight for roles all the time, and if she’s ok with it then we should be too!
And if she doesn’t lose weight, they’ll write it into Kate’s journey. I don’t see the big deal. I seriously doubt they would re-cast her. She is slaying in that role. What an amazing actress!
I don’t see the problem with this, due to the storyline and plot direction.
I however do see the problem with the portrayal of women on TV.
Realistic bodyshapes and sizes are not recognised and when shown are usually used as a negative plot device.
It just seems wrong that every TV star looks like a VS model, and portrays an average person.
Would it kill to have an average person play an average character?
I think if people watched shows with people like this or “normal” people… They would make more of them. The thing is that most people (or at least for me) watch tv and movies to escape the everyday. Maybe they don’t want normal?
I noticed this watching the last episode of The Walking Dead. I really like that they do a decent job of representing different people. It’s nice. I agree… I don’t want everyone to look perfect and the same.
I wanted to add that it must suck to constantly be asked about your weight all the time. Like that’s just what you are. Kind of like the plus sized models. I mean, yes, they are different because of that, but that isn’t all there is to them. I don’t know… It just seems so rude. It’s obvious she’s a bigger girl… But why is that always the only story?
It’s one of the reasons I LOVE British television. You still have lots of beautiful people, of course, but you have lots of average people. People of all shapes, sizes and colors. And even homely people. It’s really jarring at first, but once I got over seeing “normals” on tv, it’s refreshing. And it actually makes me a lot more critical of most American tv shows.
This is one of the best shows I’ve seen on network TV. It’s such a solidly crafted show, with excellent performances by the entire cast (though Sterling Brown is my favorite). It also seems that the cast loves the show in the same way the creator and directors do, which is a rare thing. I also love the relationship between Kate and Toby and appreciate the fact that they cast actors with the appropriate body type. I trust both the creatives and cast – so hopefully everyone is on the same page with Kate’s projected weight loss and will do what best serves the story along with the health of talent.
I wouldn’t call Justin Hartley relatively new. He’s been around for at least a dozen years. I remember when he got his start on “Passions.” He’s been pretty much working non-stop since then.
That said, this is an interesting twist with the soft backpeddle of her initial comments. I’m curious to see what happens next.
OOOOoohhhhh yeah, he WAS on Passions!
I watch this with my teen girls, one of which is overweight. This show is so awesome and real. I kept thinking I had seen Justin in some Hallmark movies but it was Passions and Y&R.
Ditto. I met him on Revenge.
But her character gets gastric by-pass surgery, which means she would HAVE to lose weight in real life to go along with her character’s progress. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
It sounds like her character may decide not to go through the surgery.
She sounded were happy in the interview I red and said this was a great motivation so I don’t have any issues with this.
I feel two ways about it. Her body, her decision. If she is excited to have trainers and nutritionists paid for by the studio to assist her safely – then power to you girl!!
I just hate that a woman gets on screen and the immediate transition is “oh don’t worry, she’s going to lose weight.”
Or how about we show a woman who is happy with herself. Period. Why does everyone on tv have to be miserable?
I’ve got plenty of snark for Gilmore Girls – but I don’t recall Sookie’s size ever being an issue. She married. She had kids. No one ever said a word.