Mandy Moore says playing a mother on screen will help her be one off of it.
The pregnant actor, who stars as Rebecca on NBC’s “This Is Us,” said portraying a woman with three kids at various points in life has helped her get a grasp on what to expect when she welcomes her baby boy.
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“It’s funny, I mean having played a sort of matriarch of a family for the last five years and getting to sort of see children at various different chapters and stages, I feel like I’m as pseudo-prepared as I can be,” she told Hoda Kotb while laughing Friday on TODAY. “I’ve had babies and toddlers and I have adult children, so I’ve kind of gotten a pretty good taste and lay of the land.”
The show is two episodes into its fifth season, so fans may wonder how Moore, 36, will be filmed as her pregnancy advances.
“Very conspicuous costumes, I guess, to hide stuff," she said. "I’m sure you’ll see Rebecca carrying a lot of laundry baskets and oversized purses, god knows what, for the next couple of months.”
“I’ve also heard that they can sort of go in and digitally change things, if need be, but I’m guessing it’ll be a lot more shots of sort of less full body, probably just like what we’re seeing today," she said. "Chest up.”
This will be the first child for Moore and husband Taylor Goldsmith. The actor said she’s totally OK with people trying to help her get ready for parenthood.
“Everyone wants to give you unsolicited advice,” she said. “I’m all for it. I will welcome anything because I know nothing.”
While they wait for their addition, Moore and Goldsmith remain busy. They teamed up to write Moore’s new Christmas song “How Could This Be Christmas?” and her most recent album, “Silver Landings.” Working together during the pandemic to “funnel this creative energy” made perfect sense for the couple.
“It’s so special to be able to share that connection of music together,” she said.
And while they are enjoying their time together, Moore said she is envisioning a beautiful future with their son.
"My husband is a musician, and so the idea of being able to have music be this throughline in his life is really exciting — to be able to bring him on the road with us is an exciting prospect," she said.
"And the holidays, we’re sort of like at the beginning of the best season of the year," she added. "I think about traditions and the way we’re sort of going to be a family together. (It’s) so exciting.”