Susan Kelechi Watson on writing ‘This is Us’ episode: ‘It was the highlight of what I’ve done on the show so far
Watson has portrayed Beth on the hit show for six years, and got to step into the writer's chair for a recent episode of the final season
This is Us, NBC’s hit family drama, has certainly left its mark since it premiered in 2016. Earning smash ratings since its premiere, the show follows the lives of the Pearson family through various timelines. While much of the cast has found success since it’s premiere, Beth and Randall Pearson, played by Susan Kelechi Watson and Sterling K. Brown respectively, are often seen as the heart of the show, giving audiences a beautiful portrait of a Black family in a primetime drama.
After six seasons, This is Us is officially coming to a close and Watson recently sat down with theGrio, opening up about her experience starring in the show, and her dipping her toe into writing for an episode of the final season.
This year, she not had the chance to portray Beth in the series, but step into the writer’s chair as well as she co-wrote episode 6 of the season, which aired last week.
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Getting to write and produce this episode, Watson shared with us, was the “highlight” of what she’s gotten to do on the show so far. “I got to not only act in it and bring Beth’s storyline to its fruition, I got to write and co-produce on the show, in terms of putting the episode together and all of the aspects of it. I love producing, it’s one of my other passions.”
“It was a very full experience,” she continued. “It was more than I thought it would be. I thought I would write something and then hand it in and that was it, but I was writing basically from August until we shot the episode in November.”
The process was also full circle for her, especially after playing Beth for all of these years. “It felt a little bit like Beth’s goodbye…and that was really sweet. That moment meant a lot to me.”
She continued, “It was not as hard as I thought it would be because I have been living with her for six years. I could hear her in my head…I almost got to really write it as I’d say it as Beth, which definitely gave me kind of a leg up in writing it.”
“I was surprised at how quickly it came to me but it is just a testament to how clear these characters have become over the years,” she added.
When speaking to Beth and Randall’s legacy and where she goes next in her career, she explained, “After something like this, it feels like I just want to have roles that I can really sink my teeth into, and characters that people really feel connected to. I’ve felt over the years how connected people feel to Beth and that just means so much to me.”
“To portray a Black woman specifically, as just a normal somebody who can be inside any suburban house and that’s really interesting and compelling to people? People want to be right be her side with her? That’s amazing to me,” she continued.
This is Us returns March 8 with new episodes from the final season.
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