On the same day that its second episode made its debut, the critically acclaimed new modern family drama “This Is Us” received a sophomore season renewal from NBC. For many viewers the show’s instant appeal had much to do with the character of Kate, played by Chrissy Metz. Unhappy with her weight and desperate to do something about it, Kate attends diet meetings and leaves post-it notes in her fridge as reminders not to eat. Metz, who may be recognized from her stint as the Fat Lady (not our term) on FX’s "American Horror Story: Freak Show," couldn’t be happier about landing the role of a lifetime and is ready for any backlash that’s sure to accompany the show’s sensitive weight-loss storyline. Indeed, that’s a sensitivity that is very much in the national conversation this week after Hillary Clinton brought up Donald Trump’s unkind remarks about former Miss Universe Alicia Machado during the first presidential debate.
“[Acting] opportunities for plus-size women are very few and far between,” Metz (pictured at top and below with co-star Justin Hartley) recently told me. “Then, to have some substance and actually tell a story that other people can relate to … When I read the breakdown I thought ‘I have to have this job!’”
Despite being hidden under a prosthetic fat suit for AHS: Freak Show, an experience she describes as “incredible and amazing,” Metz is thrilled to have left behind that show’s repressive time period (1952) in favor of her current gig’s reflection of present-day realities. “This is so much more relatable,” she said. “It’s written so layered and beautifully that I feel like I won the lottery. It's incredible!”