If you were taken aback by the reveal in This Is Us‘ Tuesday, October 25, episode that patriarch Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) is no longer alive in the present-day scenes, you weren’t the only one. Chrissy Metz (Kate) told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Friday, October 28, that she was shocked when she learned Jack was dead and that Kate now keeps his remains in an urn in her home.
“I was distraught,” Metz, 37, said. “I was like, What the actual hell? And what does this mean? … Jack is everything to Kate, and they have this really special bond — and so do Milo and I. So it was heartbreaking, and I’m like [pretending to cry], ‘What does this mean? What is this going to look like?’ I was distraught.” She added with a laugh, “Actually, I was pretty pissed off.”
The actress pointed out that Jack and Kate will experience their ups and downs as father and daughter before his passing: “Relationships are very complicated, very layered.”
Kate will also deal with a range of emotions for Toby (Chris Sullivan) as they continue to navigate their nascent romance, according to Metz.
“She’s trying to find the balance between herself and the relationship,” said the American Horror Story: Freak Show alum. “Many people lose themselves in relationships — she’s trying hard not to do that, but is also afraid of losing him because he really, really does care for her.”
Tell Us: What do you think will happen between Kate and Toby?
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.