‘This Is Us’ Star Chrissy Metz Opens Up About Family, Money Struggles And More

Chrissy Metz has been wowing viewers as Kate on the hit TV series “This Is Us.”

And while she always dreamed of killing it on-screen as an actress, she worked long and hard to get to where she is today.

Metz opened up to Glamour magazine about the struggle she faced when moving from her hometown of Homestead, Florida to try and make it in Hollywood.

According to her, there were lots of tears, lots of room-sharing and a whole lot of support that got here to where she is now.

“I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest. I went on unemployment. I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores. I never had to—God forbid—live on the streets,” she told the magazine—note that this was after she’d already had a successful run as Barbara “Ima” Wiggles on American Horror Story.

Metz told Glamour that it was largely due to the kindness of others that she made it through this trying time, and that she had just 81 cents in her bank account when she got the role of Kate on “This Is Us.”

“I moved in with a roommate who told me, ‘Stay with me until you can afford rent. Don’t give up.” People who supported me were like, “If you don’t have money for food, I’ll cook you dinner. You don’t have money for acting class? Let’s get together and read lines.’”

It definitely hasn’t always been easy for Metz, whose family struggled to get by when she was growing up. She turned to food for comfort, and while Metz will follow a weight-loss regimen while filming to mirror the weight loss her character’s experiencing, she’s become a de facto advocate for plus-size women. It may not be easy, but it’s an important role to take on.

“So there is a responsibility, of course. I feel a sense of responsibility to represent actors, plus-size actors, plus-size women, or people who are struggling with their weight,” she said to Refinery29. “I have that experience, and I really want to do it justice. You know, it’s one thing to struggle with your weight here and there, but for me, it’s been since I literally was a child, since I was a little girl. I get it. I get it as me, Chrissy, and then Kate, as a character.”

She may have always had support, but now that she’s taking on such an important role on and off of the screen for female actors, body positivity and so much more, she’s got even more fans and support now than before.

[h/t: Today]