Sterling K. Brown Opens Up About the End of ‘This Is Us’

From Good Housekeeping

Sterling K. Brown is okay with the thought of This Is Us ending.

A while back, executive producer Isaac Aptaker confirmed to Deadline that the beloved NBC drama would likely wrap up after season 6, making this upcoming season in the fall possibly the second-to-last installment. While it might be a difficult reality for This Is Us fans to accept, the 44-year-old Emmy-winning actor tells Good Housekeeping that he’s actually at peace with the decision.

“Whenever something is supposed to end, that’s when it’s supposed to end,” he says, while explaining that he looks forward to whatever the universe has in store for him next. “I don’t know if that’s going to be six seasons definitively or more, but when something is ready to come to an end, I’m ready to come to an end.”

He continues: “I want people to watch our show and hopefully be like ‘I wish the Pearsons could’ve stayed around longer.’ I want us to be like Barry Sanders, one of the greatest running backs in the NFL, and he only played for nine seasons and then he retired. People are like, ‘Why is Barry Sanders retiring? He’s still great!’ You want to leave them wanting more.”

Instead of focusing on the distant future though, Sterling is content with living in the present — and in the present, Sterling is filming season 5 of This Is Us, which he says will be reflective of what we all have experienced throughout 2020.

“To quote Hamilton [the musical], ‘the world turned upside down’ since we finished season 4. We will be addressing COVID, we will be addressing Black Lives Matter, and we’re still maintaining the fabric of our show,” Sterling reveals.

His own character, Randall, will start to go through a transformative period right off the bat.

“Rebecca [Mandy Moore’s character] is dealing with her dementia, and that will be a driving force for Randall being in city council. There’s also an intriguing discovery that Randall makes about his past that will drive the first half of the season.”

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Apart from preparing for This Is Us season 5, the father of two has spent the last few months trying to stay grounded, even as the world continues to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and calls for racial justice. During the day, Sterling typically tries to meditate, exercise, read, and keep in contact with his friends and family over Zoom. Keeping his mentality sharp and relaxing when he can (the NBA finals and Lovecraft Country are his go-to TV picks at the moment) are both key to Sterling’s wellbeing.

“I feel most effective in my work as a husband and father when I have a certain reserve of joy to pull from. And if I deplete that level of joy, I can’t really be of service to anybody else,” Sterling declares. “All work and no play makes me a really dull boy, and I can’t be helpful if I’m not working from a place of joy.”

That said, some of his most recent important work has come in the form of his partnership with Survivorship Today, an initiative from Bristol Meyers Squibb that seeks to share stories of cancer survivors across the U.S. and better understand what it’s like living with the disease. Through his campaign, Sterling has talked with several people about their experiences and struggles with cancer, a cause near to him after losing his Uncle Sonny to the disease in 2004.

“There’s something inherent in the souls of folks who have gone through the levels of trials and tribulations they have in order to beat cancer, in order to be living with it,” he shares. “That sort of reminds me of what I have to be grateful for, and what it takes to persevere through adversity.”

Looking forward, Sterling says that while this year may be extremely overwhelming, he’s eager to make more TV that will hopefully help viewers find comfort in the days ahead.

“I haven’t been able to work for six months, so getting back to work is exciting,” Sterling says about returning to the This Is Us set. “It’s my ministry, and it’s the thing that I love to do.”

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