Justin Hartley Teases Upcoming ‘This Is Us’ Shockers


Justin Hartley has found his true calling on This is Us. The TV veteran, known for his roles on Smallville, Revenge, and The Young and the Restless, plays struggling actor Kevin Pearson on the hit NBC drama, and he says the show is the acting role he has been waiting for. Hartley also says This Is Us will continue to shock fans with upcoming twists and turns.

While fans have already been rocked by a time twist, a stepdad shocker, and the impending deaths of two major characters, in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Justin Hartley revealed that one of the most shocking surprises of the series hasn’t even happened yet.

“Well it’s coming up, so I can’t tell you [what it is],” Hartley said of another upcoming twist. “But the pilot is a pretty tough one to beat. I didn’t know we were watching different time periods, I just thought we were watching some hipsters. I had to put it down and re-read it and make sure that I just read what I read.”

Hartley added that the writers give him a heads up about what will happen with his character.

“I was privy to what was going on with Jack,” Hartley said of the death reveal of his character’s father. “I knew what was happening so that wasn’t as much of a shock as it was to everyone who was watching.”

“[The writers] will tell us whatever we want to know—unless we don’t want to know…I’ll hear the overall storylines about what’s going to happen, and some of the stuff that gets pitched, and I’m like ‘Wait, what?!'”

Justin Hartley told Us Weekly that there will be a few more huge reveals as the first season progresses.

“Every episode has a little ah-ha moments, but some of them are big, and some of them are smaller,” Justin told Us. “Some are like earth-shattering, and some are like, ‘Oh, OK.’ So they’re not all twists, but they are all captivating, I think.”

Hartley also teased a story arc with his character and his brother, Randall (Sterling K. Brown), which will give more insight into the backstory behind their rivalry.

“It’s a long time coming, and it’s a lifetime of rivalry and sort of one-upmanship,” Justin said. “They don’t have anything in common. But they happen to be brothers, and it’s really interesting to see how different these two people can be growing up in the same household with the same parents and the same opportunities and experiences — and how different they are as adults.”

Harley added that his character wants to reconnect with his brother because he misses him, so a big storyline will play out around their relationship.

“I will say there is some big stuff coming on the way,” Hartley told Us.

“There are a couple of episodes and one in particular dedicated to that, to the brothers’ relationship. It’ll blow your mind. You’re going to be like, ‘Is that what they’re doing?!’ It’s crazy. You’re going to be like, ‘Oh, so they’re going to deal with this right now?’ It’s pretty stressful! You’ll see.”

Justin Hartley isn’t the only This is Us cast member who’s teasing more twists to come. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hartley’s TV dad, Milo Ventimiglia, says fans will learn more about the timeline of Jack’s death and how it relates to his wife Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) second marriage to his friend, Miguel (Jon Huertas).

“I think when we found out where Jack met his end, as well as where Jack was with Rebecca and where Jack was possibly potentially with Miguel, it’s all to be discovered,” Milo said of the Episode 2 reveal that showed Rebecca is with Miguel in the present day.

One thing fans can expect to see is an older Jack Pearson—at least somewhat older than the 30-something dad we’ve seen so far. Ventimiglia teased that he will wear some prosthetic makeup at some point on the series.

“There is a level of makeup that Jack sees himself in between now and the urn,” the actor said.

Take a look at the video below to see Justin Hartley’s biggest This is Us scene.

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly]

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