Thanks to NBC's hit drama This Is Us, actress
Chrissy Metz has become an overnight sensation.
Starring as Kate Pearson in the series, Metz
portrays a woman struggling with her weight
and career while trying to open herself up
to a romantic relationship.
Her performance has earned her rave reviews,
including a Golden Globe nomination for Best
Supporting Actress.
And while This Is Us is Metz's most significant
acting credit to-date, she spent over a decade
working up to this point.
Here's where you may have seen Chrissy Metz
on-screen before.
Entourage
If you blinked, you would have missed Metz's
part on Entourage as the Titanic super-fan
who bugs James Cameron at a movie theater.
But the brief role was Metz's first screen
credit, and she was nothing short of delighted
about earning that part.
She told People Magazine of the audition process,
"I remember going to the bathroom and calling
my manager and crying.
I'm like, 'I can't get the line right, I can't
act, I don't know what I'm doing!'
And she's like, 'Put your big-girl panties
on and get out there!'"
She also said that James Cameron was "lovely"
and that the experience was "traumatizing
but really wonderful at the same time."
Loveless in Los Angeles
Although her next material role was definitely
built on stereotypes, Metz made her movie
debut as Brittany Daniel's roommate, Bonnie,
in the little known 2007 film Loveless in
Los Angeles.
The film's intention was to be a romantic
comedy that also pokes fun at the cliches
of the genre, so Metz's gross roommate character
was written in as way over-the-top.
“And don’t check out my ass.”
Even so, though, the part certainly helped
to showcase her quirkier side, which made
her a great fit for what came next.
My Name Is Earl
As "Chunk" on My Name is Earl, Metz played
an overweight cheerleader on a squad of misfits.
And while it might have been just a bit part
on the series, the role would still help fill
out her resume reel because it was still a
hit network series at the time of airing.
Of course, much like her screen counterpart
in the episode, she'd have to work hard and
exercise a lot of patience to make it pay
off — because it'd be years before she'd
snag the next big thing in her career.
American Horror Story: Freak Show
After a snagging those small-time roles here
and there, Metz had to take a second job an
assistant to make ends meet for a while.
But she refused to give up on her goal of
making it into the spotlight, and in 2014,
she got her first real shot.
She starred in FX's American Horror Story:
Freak Show as Ima "Barbara" Wiggles, a role
which required her to wear a cushion padding
to make her look larger.
"You look miserable."
"This place is the worst."
And although she appeared in just one season
of American Horror Story, Metz was over the
moon about being asked to join the show's
celebrated cast.
She told Yahoo, "Being a plus-size actress,
it is slim pickings, so anytime any role comes
up for a plus-size actress, my agents are
all over it … I was jumping around my house
when I heard, and now I find myself sitting
across from Jessica Lange and acting with
Kathy Bates.
I feel like a freshman showing up in the middle
of the year, and they are all the cool seniors.
I have to pinch myself to believe this is
really my life."
And the really good news is that it was only
the beginning.
What's next
Critics have hailed Chrissy Metz's performance
in the first season of This Is Us.
And NBC has had such a hit on it hands with
the family drama, that they've already ordered
up not one but two future seasons.
Meanwhile, Metz has used her new platform
to promote better roles for plus-sized women,
telling audiences of the Television Critics
Association summer tour, "We need to write
more of those stories.
We need to not always be the butt of the joke."
Metz has also revealed that the role has created
a series of heartfelt interactions with fans
who appreciate the new spotlight she's giving
to plus-sized women of the world.
She told Harper's Bazaar, "I can't go anywhere
without people talking to me or recognizing
me from the show.
This woman told me she never understood her
daughter and her weight issues 'til she saw
the show.
She got teary-eyed, I started getting teary-eyed…
it was beautiful."
So, in addition to starring in a hit series
and arriving as a source of inspiration to
viewers everywhere, she's also been readying
herself to move behind the lens a bit, too.
Metz aspires to open her own production company,
make an autobiographical movie, and record
an EP with her band, Chrissy and the Vapors.
That's all in addition to starring in another
comedy feature film called Sierra Burgess
Is a Loser.
So, while we've seen her in a few things before,
chances are, we'll be seeing a lot more of
her in the years to come.
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