Chrissy Metz is opening up about how her "This Is Us" character helped her relate to a close friend who suffered a miscarriage.
The 39-year-old actress, who plays Kate Pearson on the hit NBC drama, appears on the cover of the January/February issue of Good Housekeeping, and inside the magazine she reveals how difficult it was to film Kate's miscarriage storyline.
"But what was really amazing was, someone dear to me went through (a miscarriage), and while I wasn’t able to talk to her about it while we were doing it on the show ... it was nice to understand, maybe in a different way, what she went through — obviously not completely, but to sort of have that conversation and ability to understand more," Metz shared.
The series, which returns from its midseason break on Tuesday, is packed with drama every week. Shooting those emotional scenes often wipes Metz out. To cope, she's learned to take time for self-care.
“Sometimes I just want to be alone, or I’ll cry on the way home because I didn’t quite get everything out (on set). I’ll take a bath, I’ll listen to music, whatever is going to bring me joy and get me back to that balanced place," she revealed.
"But there are times when it’s very cathartic for me, when I’m dealing with something I’ve never dealt with personally ... I have to sort of dig deeper, and sometimes that means being emotional on the way home or for the next couple of days," she added.
While the actress wouldn't reveal exactly what's in store for the Pearson family in the second half of season four, she hinted that fans should expect some changes.
"There is some stuff coming up that we’re going to discover that a lot of people are going to relate to and hopefully be changed by," said Metz. "It’s going to be very emotional, but I think it’s going to bring some empathy and understanding.”
The January/February issue of Good Housekeeping hits newsstands on Jan. 21.