The NBC drama This Is Us has proven to be one of the few network success stories of the fall TV season. In an era of reboots, sequel series, and low-budget reality television, This Is Us feels like a throwback to a bygone era: A critically beloved, intimate family drama that emphasizes intensely personal storylines and skilled performances over gimmicks and special effects. While Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Sterling K. Hayden seem to be receiving the majority of the acclaim, relative unknown Chrissy Metz has also emerged as a favorite of viewers and critics alike. Metz’s character, Kate, struggles to lose weight, and there’s a storyline in which Kate decides to undergo gastric bypass surgery. In a recent interview with People magazine, Metz indicated that she signed a contract stipulating that she and Kate would be taking the same weight loss journey: “It’s definitely a conversation that we’ve had, and it’s in my contract,” she said, adding that both she and her character would be shedding pounds “in a healthy manner.” Not surprisingly, the statement has met with a fair amount of controversy, as many expressed shock that NBC would require than an actress lose weight before she could sign on to accept a role. Now, Metz is clarifying the matter and insisting that she merely misspoke when she referenced her contract: “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 while speaking to People at an event in LA on Friday, “I was pitched that the trajectory of Kate is that she’s going to lose weight. That is who and what’s going on.” Metz says there is no requirement that she lose weight or get down to a certain size, but adds that she plans to use her character’s arc as an added incentive for her own weight loss goals: “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.” Best of luck to Ms. Metz, whatever her fitness goals may be! Watch This Is Us online at TV Fanatic to see why she’s become the fall’s standout star.
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Chrissy Metz: This Is Us Star Contractually Obligated to Lose Weight?!
