'This Is Us' star Jack Hartley says he will return for upcoming third season following NBC's official confirmation
A little heads up for everyone busy enjoying the summer: Buckle up for fall, especially if you're a big fan of the Pearson family. NBC has confirmed that season three of This Is Us will premiere on Tuesday, September 25 at 9 pm. And if that doesn't get you thrilled, the date of the season premiere is approximately one month after the beloved Jack’s birthday and the Big 3’s birthdays.
The announcement was made via the show's official Instagram page; the cutest ever animated video was used to let fans and followers know that the show — with its incredible cast and gripping plot — is going to be back once again, very soon. The caption read: “There’s no you. There’s no me. There’s just US. #ThisIsUs. September 25." And if that doesn't make you feel a little something tingling within, we don't know what will.
Chiming in with an announcement and confirmation of sorts was the show's star Justin Hartley, who took to his own Instagram page to share the same animated video and announced to his fans that he was returning once again to the show. "Excited to announce the season three return of #ThisIsUs. We’ll see you very soon! Tuesday, September 25th at 9pm," he captioned the post.
Since the ending of Season 2, fans have been left with a plethora of questions about what the ending meant. Especially in terms of Beth and the mystery revolving around her. But Beth fans, worry not; Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Beth, has confirmed that killing Beth off is not their plan.
“It’s just so lovely. I was so surprised by it, of course, grateful for it, and didn’t expect it," Susan told Deadline. "There were all these articles either wishing Beth the best or threatening the writers if they killed her off. But I talked with Dan [Fogelman, the creator] about it, and we had a good laugh about it. He was like, 'Did you see this? We don’t have any plans to kill Beth off.’” Now, that's something to be happy about!
But fans aren't the only ones affected by what happens on the show, as Hartley — who plays the role of Kevin — claims the show has had a severe positive impact on his life, especially in terms of his approach towards fatherhood.
“In a weird way, This Is Us makes you want to stay alive as long as you can,” Hartley shared in an interview with Glamour magazine. “Life is delicate. My daughter is 13 — so I slow everything down. We took a flight recently, and I had a conversation with her that I thought was really important. I said, 'I just want you to know some things… Indulge me for five minutes.' We just had a really nice, slow conversation. It wasn’t any new information, just things I thought she should know.”
His association with the role has also impacted him in certain unexpected ways; especially the scenes where Kevin hallucinates that his father is still alive are the ones that he says have affected him the most.
“I think of my daughter,” he told the magazine. “I think about how much I’ve taught her and what a sliver it has been so far. I think of all the things I want to teach her and see her go through. I want to walk her down the aisle. I want to be there when her kids are born."
He continued: "I want to call her when her boyfriend breaks up with her, or talk her through a breakup. I want to teach her how to drive. All this stuff. I want to take her to college and make sure she knows everything is OK and I’m only a phone call away. I want to pick her up from college and bring her home. I want to be there at the airport.”
That's right, time for the tissues!