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Sterling K. Brown had an adorable take on how being a dad shapes Randall

By Samantha Richards

THIS IS US -- "The Pool" Episode 104 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sterling K Brown as Randall, Eris Baker as Tess, Ron Cephas Jones as William, Faithe Herman as Annie, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth -- (Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC)
THIS IS US -- "The Pool" Episode 104 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sterling K Brown as Randall, Eris Baker as Tess, Ron Cephas Jones as William, Faithe Herman as Annie, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth -- (Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC) /
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We’re keeping the Father’s Day love rolling this week with quotes from a Sterling K. Brown interview about playing Randall as a dad.

Randall Pearson is a great dad. He’s clearly cut from the same fatherly cloth as Jack, and in many ways William — who also only wanted what was best for his son. The actor who plays Randall, Sterling K. Brown, appears to be just as endearingly kind, both as a human being and as a father to two.

Speaking to TVLine on a podcast, Brown was asked how being a dad himself has affected how he reacts to family-heavy scenes. Specifically, how it informs moments like William’s death in the Memphis episode. His answer turned the question around a little bit and provided some heartwarming insight into what he draws from in his performance as Randall.

Around the eight-minute mark, Brown answers:

"I would say that dad relationships in general for me are particularly sensitive because I lost my dad when I was 10 years old. What I did learn — and I don’t think this is so much in Randall and William, but the way in which Randall is with his two little girls — I don’t think the kids can ever love you the way that the parents love them.I would remember times when my mom would look at me, when I was a little boy, and I would say, What are you…? Why are you staring at me? And she would say, nothing, I just love you. And I catch myself just staring at these two little boys and saying, Daddy loves you, so much. And they’re like, I know Dad. My 5-year-old, my 20-month-old can’t speak, but my 5-year-old’s like, I know Dad. That’s what I learned from being a parent."

One of the most delightful — and purely good — things about This Is Us is how apparent the love between parent and child is in the Pearson family. Particularly in the flashbacks involving Jack, but also the way Randall is with girls, the actors do an excellent job of conveying the love of a parent for his child.

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