Chrissy Metz: Playing a Role That's 'Not About Being a Plus-Size Woman' Is Uncharted Territory
A few years before Chrissy Metz became a household name playing Kate Pearson on This Is Us, she was a talent agent in Hollywood helping other actresses get jobs. It wasn't that long ago by any means, but it might as well be a lifetime when you factor in just how much has changed in the industry since last October. "I've seen this major shift," Metz says in the wake of #MeToo and Time's Up. "Art is slowly catching up to life, but women's stories have to be told. It seems so silly that it's taken this long, but people are finally getting to see themselves through these beautiful projects. I’m so excited about it."
Metz has plenty to be excited about these days, fresh off a best drama ensemble win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, a book announcement (titled "This Is Me"), and an upcoming role in a feature film, The Impossible, which is based on the real-account, faith-based book The Impossible: The Miraculous Story of a Mother’s Faith and Her Child’s Resurrection. Metz will play Joyce, a mother whose 14-year-old son fell through a frozen lake in Missouri. She kept praying by her son's bedside until his heart (miraculously) started beating again.
"[The story] was something that was really dear to my life and my heart, because my mom had a pretty severe stroke five months ago," Metz tells us. "She's doing really well now and living with my sister in Florida, but the hard part is, she has aphasia, which is where you don't really have a vocabulary. Basically she speaks blah, blah, blahs, which we can understand because she's our mom, but it's kind of like playing charades. Her vocabulary could come back at any moment, so we’re really hopeful but just grateful that she’s there."
Going through such a traumatic few months helped Metz connect to Joyce when she first read the script. "I could so relate to her convictions—this unconditional love and positivity—and her belief in her faith that her son was going to get better, just as I didn’t want to believe the prognosis that my mom’s surgeon and doctor gave her. I totally believe in the power of positivity and collective consciousness and what you put out there."
It's a practice that has served Metz well in her career too. "Everything is just pie in the sky. I went in for a meeting [for the film], but I never think anything is mine until it actually happens. Yes, I go in with good thoughts, but when [producer] DeVon Franklin was very interested in having me sign on, I was like, 'Get out! No way!'" Aside from the fact that Metz didn't even have to audition for the role ("That's never happened to me in my life!"), she's excited that the movie has nothing to do with her character's size. "This is not a movie about weight; this is not about being a plus-size woman. It’s about this beautiful, miraculous story, and that’s exciting. It’s sort of unchartered territory for me, so I’m really grateful but also nervous. A lot nervous! I’m really thrilled and honored to have this opportunity."
The film is also directed by a woman—Roxann Dawson—which prompted Metz to let out a few screams just to show her excitement. "I can't even tell you [how cool that is]! She's also an actress [notable for Star Trek], which is great because there's a shorthand that you speak. She said, 'Chrissy, I'm going to challenge you,' and I went, 'Yes!' Because that's what wonderful relationships are, no matter if they are in your career or your personal life."
That's why Metz is thrilled that directors and creators like Dawson and Shonda Rhimes are willing to stand up and vow to do things differently in this new era of female empowerment. "Not only are we more than [just the strong, smart female lead], but complex in that we have layers of all sorts of characteristics and emotions. You don’t hear men described as the smart, strong lead. I don’t know how smart some of these men are anyway! But that’s besides the point. We’re all evolving, hopefully. The only thing we can do is have compassion and understanding for people who know not what they do and enlighten people to. It’s gonna take some time, but it’s happening."
