Bruce Willis, Judi Dench, and Matt Damon on This Is Us actors' guest-star wish list

Dan Snierson
·4 min read

This Is Us may be inching ever closer toward the end of the Pearson saga, but there's still time for NBC's hit family drama to surprise viewers with cool castings and its stars with dream scenes. The show has already welcomed celebrities ranging from Sylvester Stallone to Seth Meyers, from Katey Sagal to Katie Couric, and from Brad Garrett to Garrett Morris over the years, so who should be added to the roster in the coming seasons?

Not sure if you remember but Kate's husband, Toby (Chris Sullivan), boasts a last name full of promise. "I am of the firm belief that Toby’s younger brother — that he has a lot of resentment and awkward feelings around — is absolutely Matt Damon," Sullivan deadpans to EW. "And I’ve been trying to reach out to his camp for seasons now to see if he’d come on and play my brother. But, who knows? We got two more seasons so maybe he’ll come on and complete that story." Sullivan is actually intrigued by such a casting, and in the spirt of goodwill (hunting), issues this plea to the actor: "Matt Damon, if you’re watching... it’s the only logical way to wrap up the Toby Damon story."

Chrissy Metz, who plays Toby's better half, is thinking about two Oscar-winning actresses who would check off a box on her personal wish list. "My head always goes to Allison Janney because i just love her so much!" says Metz. "But... I mean. if we’re thinking crazy big, I’m like.., Judi Dench? I’m just selfishly asking because I just want to work with her and be in her presence. I mean, we haven’t met Toby’s mom. So possibilities are endless.... [Janney] is so versatile and I think she has that bite, from what we know of Toby’s mom. It’d be interesting, that dynamic, Kate and Toby’s mom — what does that look like? Because that is so important in a marriage, in a relationship, so I’m just putting it out there."

Bryan Steffy/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Justin Hartley, who shared screen time with Stallone in Kevin's war-movie story line, would love to welcome Stallone's Expendables costar. "I would like to do anything that we can — while we have this power and this audience and while the show is as big as it is — to lock down Bruce Willis somehow," reveals Hartley. He does have one condition, though. "I’m not really interested in Bruce Willis coming on and acting with anyone else; I’m interested in acting with Bruce Willis!" he continues. "The only thing that would be worse than not getting Bruce Willis is getting Bruce Willis and then it’s not for me and I don’t get to work with him.... I’ve always admired him and his work and it’s always been a thing for me; I’ve always wanted to work with him."

Hartley is even willing to sublimate his ego, especially if Willis joins Kevin in an action movie. "It'd be cool to get my ass kicked by him, you know what I mean?" quips Hartley. "I would like to get beat up by Bruce. That’d be fun, right? Get beat up by Bruce Willis! John McClane just comes in and just kicks your ass! But in true John McClane style and Bruce Willis style, he’s going to takes some lumps as well, which is cool. But he just keeps getting back up. You can’t kill him."

Sterling K. Brown (a.k.a. Randall) revealed Denzel Washington to be his ultimate guest-star, which you can read about here. Meanwhile, Mandy Moore is itching for a full-cast musical moment for her dream scene, Susan Kelechi Watson simply wants Beth and Randall to have the opportunity to explore their connection on a date night amidst all the family chaos, and Milo Ventimiglia would love another William-Jack scene. You can see what else the cast — as well as creator Dan Fogelman — had to say in our 92Y chat below.

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