Chrissy Metz has finally gotten her big break on the hit NBC drama "This Is Us." Her portrayal of Kate Pearson on the show has garnered critical acclaim, and she's also received Emmy Award buzz. Metz's stunning and vulnerable portrayal of Pearson is relatable to a lot of people who are struggling with their body image and weight loss goals. In real life, Metz has also gone through a stunning transformation herself. However, Metz has been hustling as an actor since the mid-2000s, and after small and recurring roles in "My Name is Earl" and "American Horror Story: Freak Show," Metz has finally arrived.
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PeopleTranscript
00:002016 was a big year for actress Chrissy Metz.
00:04The NBC show she stars in, This Is Us, premiered and was met with instant success.
00:10Metz's character, Kate, a woman who works for her brother and is struggling through
00:13her personal weight loss goals, is vulnerable, and viewers are given a close look into her
00:18day-to-day life.
00:19With the show in the spotlight, Metz has had the opportunity to open up about her own struggle
00:24with weight loss.
00:25She keeps it real, which feels like a breath of fresh air in an industry that does not
00:29always do the same.
00:31Let's take a look at Metz's journey of weight loss, fame, and undying gratitude for it all.
00:37Childhood struggles
00:38Metz's weight is something she has dealt with her entire life.
00:42She told The Hollywood Reporter,
00:43"'My friends could eat whatever they wanted to, but I knew that as a kid if I ate certain
00:47things I would totally gain weight.
00:49I had to be really cognizant of what I ate."
00:52She also reminisced about her childhood with People magazine, telling them that she was
00:55chubby at a young age, in large part to how her family perceived food.
01:00She says,
01:01"'In my family, we're German and Irish and Italian, and so food is love.
01:04And food is like, when you're sad, oh here, eat.
01:07When you're happy, have some.'
01:09Things got even tougher when she hit puberty.
01:11Apparently, her mother remarried and had two younger, slimmer daughters with her new husband.
01:16When back-to-school shopping came around, she couldn't ignore the thought that her mom
01:20enjoyed trying on clothes more with her sisters than with her.
01:23Going on a show with flashbacks to her character's childhood has been difficult for Metz.
01:27She explained to The Hollywood Reporter,
01:29"'Rebecca just wants her daughter to be happy and of course not be made fun of and just
01:34live a normal life.
01:35No matter what, somebody is going to pick on you for something.
01:38It's a complicated dynamic and it is heartbreaking.'"
01:42Panic attack
01:43Metz has been determined in the past to lose the weight, and a few years before This Is
01:47Us premiered, she took it to an extreme.
01:50She shared with People that before moving to Los Angeles, she lost 50 pounds on the
01:54recommendation of her then-manager.
01:56She then gained back 100 pounds due to depression and because she was, in her words,
02:01"'eating my feelings.'"
02:03It took a trip to the hospital on her 30th birthday due to a panic attack to make her
02:07rethink her strategy.
02:08She told the magazine,
02:09"'I was so gung-ho I lost 100 pounds in less than five months.
02:14All I did was eat a 2,000-calorie diet and walk 20 minutes a day.'"
02:18Not long after, she snagged her role in American Horror Story.
02:21Her character required her to wear a fat suit.
02:24She says,
02:25"'It was sobering.
02:26I thought, what if I become that heavy and can't walk around or get stuck in the door
02:30frame?
02:31I was like, I don't want this for me.'"
02:33This awareness has led Metz to become a voice for those who may be uncomfortable talking
02:37about body image issues.
02:40Eighty-one cents in the bank
02:42Even though acting was what Metz knew she wanted to do, getting to where she is now
02:46was not easy.
02:48After her big break on American Horror Story, the role ended and she was back where she
02:52started.
02:53She told Glamour about the incredible support system that helped her get through tough times.
02:57"'I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest.
03:02I went on unemployment.
03:03I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores.
03:06I moved in with a roommate who told me, stay with me until you can afford rent.
03:10Don't give up.'"
03:11When she booked the role on This Is Us, the actress had 81 cents in her bank account.
03:15Then, life changed quickly, but Metz's attitude did not.
03:19She told the magazine,
03:20"'You may think, ooh, you're on TV, you're a millionaire.
03:23No, it's definitely a lot more than I was making, but I still live with my roommate,
03:28though I pay my proper share of the rent now.'"
03:30Her most recent splurge after she repaid her friends and paid her credit cards off?
03:35A pair of Alexander McQueen shoes.
03:37Nice.
03:39Fate plays a part
03:40Although Metz has had to go through some tough times and struggles to get to where she is
03:44today, she has no regrets.
03:46As a matter of fact, she firmly believes everything happens for a reason, and that her journey
03:51with weight loss, and putting the weight back on, and losing it again, is all a part of
03:55this.
03:56She told The Hollywood Reporter,
03:58"...the trajectory is that Kate will be losing weight just as I will in real life to reflect
04:02the character in her arc and her journey."
04:05She points out, though, that she wouldn't have gotten this role if she'd already lost
04:08all the weight.
04:09In her eyes, she is, and had been, exactly where she's supposed to be.
04:13With such a positive and open attitude, the actress is ready to tackle the tougher issues
04:17on the show.
04:18She tells The Hollywood Reporter that she knows from experience that losing weight isn't
04:23the end of the story.
04:24She says,
04:25"...I have friends and I know that when you do lose weight, you're happy and it's exciting,
04:29but there are other things going on.
04:31There are other things that make us want to eat or overspend or fill a void with something."
04:35Some foreshadowing, perhaps?
04:38This show is my life
04:40What makes Metz and her show This Is Us so special is all of the characters' vulnerability.
04:45This display of emotion gives the audience a chance to see these characters, Metz included,
04:50for who they are, and to realize they are relatable in both their good and bad moments.
04:55Speaking with ET about this very topic, Metz said,
04:58"...I think everyone has shame about something, whether it's a lack of a relationship with
05:02a child or maybe their weight or a lack of communication within their marriage.
05:07Everyone can relate to that because we all have something that we're like, God, I can
05:10work on that or I wish I was doing better at this."
05:13Open and honest, as always, fans flock to Metz because they finally found a woman who
05:18isn't afraid to show her flaws.
05:20As she told Glamour, she's had women of all ages and sizes tell her that Metz's role has
05:24changed their lives.
05:26She says,
05:27"...that makes all the struggle, all the ramen noodles, all the times when I couldn't pay
05:30my bills, all the times where I was like, I can't do this, worth it."
05:34But don't think that all this fame, praise, and Alexander McQueen shoes are going to change
05:39Metz.
05:40She's grounded and intends to stay that way.
05:42She told the magazine,
05:43"...sometimes I cry on the way to the set still.
05:46There is something that happens when you are grateful, you continue to keep receiving blessings.
05:50So I will always be grateful."
05:52And now, we need a tissue.
05:54Thank you, Chrissy, for keeping it real.