Being an expert in crying on set is pretty much in the job description if you're starring in "This Is Us."
Fortunately, Mandy Moore (Rebecca) has a specific trick she uses if tears are called for.
As she tells Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday's show, crying on demand doesn't come naturally, so she uses a fool-proof process: listening to music.
"I have to mentally wake up that morning and mentally prepare myself that I'm going to have to cry," she explains. "My trick is I will pick a song at random that's sort of sad and evokes some sort of emotion in me, and I will listen to it incessantly."
Moore's character has had plenty of reason to cry on "This Is Us"; if nothing else, her beloved husband Jack just perished after saving everyone from a house fire.
Though Moore makes crying look easy, she has nothing on co-star Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall on the show.
"He's literally, like 'Which eye do you want the tear to come down from?'" Moore quips. "I think he can do a single cinematic tear."
DeGeneres was so keen on exploring Moore's crying scenes that she even has her play a game called "Why Is Mandy Crying" that you just can't miss.
Music isn't the only inroad to waterworks, though, adds Moore.
"I think you can't help but involve your own life and personal experiences," she says. "But music is so tangible, it definitely helps me get there."
Follow Randee Dawn on Twitter.