‘This Is Us’ Star Justin Hartley Defends ‘Misunderstood’ Character Kevin: ‘I Do Love Him’

Justin Hartley’s “This Is Us” character Kevin Pearson gets a bad rap, the actor believes, to the point that he wouldn’t dare call him a “bad guy” and is instead “misunderstood.”

“It was just like, the guy can’t get out of his own way, but he’s not a bad guy, but everyone thinks he’s kind of an a–hole, you know what I mean? But he’s really not,” Hartley said in an interview with EW.

“He’s misunderstood, but maybe kind of an a–hole, you know,” Harley added. “So you sit there and you go, ‘Man, I wish I could help this guy,’ but you just can’t.”

The actor also admitted that there are elements of himself in Kevin, which might be one reason why he’s still defensive of the character years after the show ended in 2022. “I think later on, as he as we saw him grow up and mature, I think I have more in common with him in that sort of iteration of Kevin, but I do love him, and I do hold him with me every day,” he said.

“This Is Us” ended after its sixth season, which was always the plan of show creator Dan Fogelman. The series also starred Sterling K. Brown, Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Jon Huertas and Caitlin Thompson.

The series finale featured two wedding-related shockers: Kevin Pearson and Madison (Caitlin Thompson) called off their nuptials, and Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) divorced so Kate could marry her boss at the school she works at, Phillip (Chris Geere).

Fogelman told TheWrap that Kevin’s love life would be a major consideration of the show’s final season. “So with both Kevin and with the second marriage of Kate, we have some new territory to explore… That will be a big thing driving us forward next season,” he explained. “Who will Kevin end up with, will he end up with anybody we know, does he end up with anybody at all. One way or another, that question will be answered.” I can’t answer if he winds up getting married or not, though.”

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