‘I just wept’: ‘This Is Us’ star Mandy Moore on the grief she feels for her character

In the latest episode of The Times’ TV podcast “Can’t Stop Watching,” staff writer and host Yvonne Villarreal asks “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore about the emotional journey of watching her character, Rebecca Pearson, grapple with her memory issues:

“I think the more difficult part for me is hiding my grief for her from the character — not infusing that. I remember specifically this scene in which [Rebecca] finally admitted to Randall [Sterling K. Brown] that [she] was sitting in a movie theater and ... couldn’t even remember what movie [she] was there to see ... and kind of being vulnerable for the first time about something that’s so terrifying that I think she had been denying herself for as long as things sort of started to feel off. I remember after we were done with the scene, we went to lunch or we were moving on, I was done working for the day, and I just wept. ... I was just like, “I’m so heartbroken for this woman.”

Listen to the full episode to hear Moore’s excitement about digging into Rebecca and Miguel’s origin story — and whether she’ll go to St. Louis for a clinical trial — when the show eventually returns for its fifth season, as well as how her character’s stunted music career helped her get back in the studio. And if your ears crave more “This Is Us” content, check out our discussion with Moore’s costar Milo Ventimiglia, plus our complete archive of conversations with your TV faves, including “After Life’s” Ricky Gervais, “Watchmen’s” Tim Blake Nelson and “The Good Fight’s” Christine Baranski.