‘This Is Us’ Creator Says Second to Last Script for Final Season Caused Mandy Moore to Throw Up

This Is Us is coming to a gut-wrenching ending! Creator and executive producer Dan Fogelman revealed the upcoming conclusion of the NBC show had Mandy Moore physically sick as he sat down with the actress, Sterling K. Brown, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Chris Sullivan, Susan Kelechi Watson and Jon Huertas at the Dolby Theatre Saturday night for the show’s PaleyFest panel. 

Fogelman told fans that he had completed the series finale episode just the night before, as he had been holding off writing the final words of the beloved series, but what he did write as the finale scene is exactly what he envisioned since first creating the show eight years before. “The second to last script- I sent [it] out to the cast and it made Mandy throw up,” he said, as per TODAY. Moore, pretending to vomit, chimed in, “It was so beautiful and upsetting. That was my physical reaction.” Metz agreed, “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath.”

Fogelman added when asked if fans would be satisfied by the finale, “We’ve taken it very seriously. I wrote the final two episodes. I feel very confident.” This Is Us fans have watched this season as Toby and Kate’s marriage unraveled leading up to their inevitable split, and Metz admitted she became physically ill also while filming the huge fight between her character and Toby during episode nine. “I side with both Kate and Toby because they’re both right and they’re both wrong,” she said.

With only eight episodes to go before This Is Us ends, the cast reflected on how the series and working together has impacted them. Brown said, “While the times to come together and be in each other’s space may dwindle, we know that it won’t be forever. We are going to be a part of each other’s lives in perpetuity.” Sullivan added that his time on the show has taught him to “zoom out.”

“When I came to the show, I was very self-focused on my own pain, my misery, self pity, all of these things,” he said. “I had no faith that everything was going to be okay. I mean that pretty seriously. This show taught me how to navigate some of my life’s most difficult scenarios.” He added, “This show has provided me with a handbook for living that I didn’t have before.” This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.