‘This Is Us’: Milo Ventimiglia Reveals Jack Death Hint From Pilot Episode

This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia has revealed a hint about his character’s death that was given to fans in the pilot episode.

The actor, who plays Jack Pearson on the show, and show creator Dan Fogelman recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly for an interview about Jack’s death and what is next for the character. The reveal came when Fogelman was asked about what “appealed” to him about telling a story about a family who lost their father too soon.

“You see the response people have to taking this character that they’ve fallen in love with and watching his loss be this defining moment for the family — because we’ve all experienced it in some shape or form in our lives, or been touched by somebody who has,” Fogelman said. “So, in a show that lives in the small moments, this one big event having held a big key to this family felt like a really important piece of it. Milo, you knew since the pilot that he was dead, right? Because we originally had a line in the pilot script…”

After that setup, Ventimiglia dished on the line that was cut from the original pilot script that heavily hinted at Jack’s passing. Furthermore, there is still a hint in the final version of the episode: William (Ron Cephas Jones) uses past tense when referencing Jack.

“There was a line between Randall and William where Randall says, ‘Well, my father, who’s not around anymore,’ and if you pay enough attention to the pilot, that line was missing,” Ventimiglia said. “But William still says, ‘He must’ve been proud of you.’ He used past tense.”

“So I’ve known from the beginning, and Dan has always assured me, “Now, Mi, Jack is dead, but it doesn’t mean you’re going anywhere,” he continued.

Season 1 was littered with clues about Jack’s death, but most pointed to Kate’s reveal that Jack was cremated in an urn on her mantle as the first indication of his death. However, this phrasing from William was apparently a subtle reference that most just plain missed.

This Is Us is currently on hiatus until Feb. 27 due to NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics.

When there’s not a break, This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: NBC