Chris Sullivan is completely OK with wearing a fat suit on “This Is Us,” even if some fans of the hit NBC show aren’t thrilled with the idea.
At first, many viewers didn’t realize that Sullivan’s character, Toby, wears a costume that makes him look bigger. But that changed when photos of the actor looking slender in real life started to surface. Some fans were shocked, while others expressed outrage, claiming they felt betrayed and wondering why NBC didn’t cast a larger actor for the part.
But for Sullivan, who’s in the midst of filming Season 2 of the series, said it’s all part of the magic of television. And hey, the costume is just that good, he added.
“I guess I wasn’t surprised,” he told HuffPost at Build Series about the reaction. “They did a really good job on the costume, and there’s no reason, unless it was a poorly done costume, why anyone would know … I guess, we all have different responses to things that we believe are true, when we find out they’re not.”
He also thinks that some critics might be trying to find something to nitpick, particularly when it comes to a popular series like “This Is Us.”
“There’s also a bit of a culture today of outrage being a bit of a hobby for certain people, especially with this show. There’s so much to love about this show,” he said. “People are just looking for one thing to not like about the show. And so a couple of people attached the costume to a bit of a portrayal or deceit.”
And that costume that Toby dons as he navigates the world with his fiancée, Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz), actually helps move the plot along.
“The logistics of wearing a costume like that allows me to travel back and forth through time. We know Toby was married before and, because of the divorce, gained a bunch of weight,” he said. “So there was a time when he was skinnier. So the costume allows, if they want to, for us to jump back and forth through time. There’s other logistical things involved in the decision-making … There’s like a thousand things that go into each of these choices.”
Lastly he said, “And hopefully, I was just the best actor for the job.”
Well, it’s hard to argue with that.
“This Is Us” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
And for the full Build interview, check out the video below.
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