The new NBC drama This Is Us will premiere September 20 on the network, but it is likely you’ve already seen the show’s trailer, as it has already been viewed millions of times, breaking records in the process. The series features the lives of several young people who are all connected by a special bond — the same birthday.
In the show, Justin Hartley (Smallville) plays “Kevin,” a young actor who stars in a rather silly sitcom where he plays a “Manny” and is often expected to lose his shirt, being deprived of actual worthwhile material. Kevin, of course, wants more from his lot in life.
We spoke with Justin recently at a party following the NBC day of the Television Critics Association press tour, and asked him how Kevin’s plight may have been something he faced earlier in his own career. We also asked Justin – television’s first Green Arrow – about his response to the new one.
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: In This Is Us, you play a character who is also an actor who is expected to take his shirt off a lot. Might you have any personal experience with that?
JUSTIN HARTLEY: [Sarcasm] No, never! I’ve never, ever experienced anything quite like that! Yeah, of course.
Did it give you any flashbacks to your time on Smallville, particularly?
No, not necessarily Smallville, because I think the frustration with Kevin came from something other than just having to take his shirt off. I think it was more like showing in that moment, how ridiculous things can get, when all he was doing was trying to have a little morsel of self-respect and being taken seriously.
So, no. I didn’t hearken back to Smallville. I loved my time on Smallville. I’ll never forget that time; that time was amazing.
You’ll always hold on to Smallville?
I will. I always do!
What was it like to work with Alan Thicke in that big scene for Kevin?
He’s great, and hanging out with him was awesome, too. He’s such a great, generous guy, and wonderful to be around. You spend five minutes with him and you can figure out really quickly why he’s been doing this for so long and been successful for so long. His attitude is amazing. A talented guy, but on top of all that, his attitude is great. He enjoys doing it and he gets a kick out of it. He’s fun to be around.
What can you tell me about the other cast members you get to work with on This Is Us?
They’re fantastic. Everybody on the show, they bring their own sort of wonderful talent to the show. It’s such a diverse cast. But also, I think we’re all just enamored with the project and the writing. We can’t wait to get the next script. We’re all just really, really happy to be there. Dan [Fogelman] did an amazing job writing not just the pilot, but a series, and he shared a lot of [his plans] with us, so we’ve been able to glimpse into what’s going to happen in episode 6, and episode 8, episode 10, and all that kind of stuff. So, I’m pretty excited about it.
What was your reaction to the trailer doing so well?
That was pretty phenomenal! I mean, I knew people were gonna like it; I knew it was going to do well, but I had no idea that it was going to be that kind of a phenomenon. Who would? It broke records. That was impressive. I was impressed.
Have you been watching Arrow?
You know, I haven’t. I’m not going to lie to you. But I know Stephen [Amell]. I like him very, very much, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I know he’s enjoying himself. We run into each other every once in a while, and I always tell him “take care of your body, because you only get one. Don’t toss it around too much. Take care of yourself.” He’s great. I hope he’s having a good time.
This Is Us premieres this Fall on NBC. You can take a look at the trailer below.
