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Milo Ventimiglia Reveals the One Thing He'd Change About Jack on This Is Us
Ventimiglia says he was always "really, deeply saddened" by this part of his character.
Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) is a universally-beloved character on This Is Us.The patriarch of the show is, in many ways, mystical, as he passed away in a fire when the Big Three were only teenagers. However, flashbacks have helped fans fill in the blanks.
Through the seasons, we've seen Jack battle addiction and navigate abusive family relationships. We've also seen him find love with Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and build a life for his family. The through-line of everything, of course, was the relationship he had with his three children, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown). The brief time he had with them was important and beautiful—and it solidified his image to fans as the perfect father.
But Jack wasn't perfect, and no one knows this better than Milo Ventimiglia. When asked at the 2022 PaleyFest on April 2 what he'd change about his character, if anything at all, he had a thoughtful answer ready to go.
"Jack and Nicky (Griffin Dunne)," he said. "I feel like Jack and Rebecca had a wonderful, full [relationship]...his kids, I feel like he impacted all these kids...But I was always really, deeply saddened by the fact he couldn't come together with his own brother. Knowing how close his boys are and, by extension, their family, it just broke my heart. And [now we see] the Pearsons embracing Nicky, and Nicky coming to life and changing when he was so deeply rooted in that shattered life."
Fans might forget that Jack and Nicky weren't on speaking terms when Jack passed away; they became estranged after their time serving together in the Vietnam War and last spoke in 1992. It wasn't until the Big Three came to visit him—and specifically Kevin forging a relationship with him—that Nicky rejoined the Pearson family. Now, he's sober, happy, and dating a wonderful woman named Edie (played by Vanessa Bell Calloway). Jack is no doubt smiling about that, wherever he is.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Catch up on NBC.com.
