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How Randall’s ’emotional gymnastics’ will change in season 2

By Reed Gaudens

Photo Credit: This Is Us/NBC, Acquired From NBCUniversal Media Village
Photo Credit: This Is Us/NBC, Acquired From NBCUniversal Media Village /
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How will Randall change in This Is Us Season 2 after quitting his job and losing William? Sterling K. Brown previews Randall’s journey.

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After the events of This Is Us’ first season, it’s safe to say that fans know Randall Pearson rather well. He’s a wonderful father, a hard worker, and a passionate person prone to anxiety. When we meet back up with him in Season 2, Randall will look a lot like his old self, but he will be much less tense. How does he arrive at this change? Allow Sterling K. Brown to explain.

Speaking with Deadline Hollywood, Sterling K. Brown opens up about his own journey to career success as well as Randall’s journey. Because as all This Is Us fans can attest, it has been one wild ride for Randall Pearson. In the beginning, he wants nothing to do with his biological father. He wants to throw his good fortune in William’s face, but something pulls him to form a connection with the man who left him at that fire station. Of course, it ends up being a fruitful 180, and now that his life has been changed by William’s influence, Randall will be in a new frame of mind in Season 2.

Brown previews to Deadline where we can expect to see Randall in the beginning of Season 2, and that’s in a place of relative peace. Where he used to maintain a tight schedule and push himself to his limits to prove his worth, he’s much more unencumbered having quit his job.

Even with the contentious adoption on the table and making waves in their marriage, Beth’s work picks up and Randal takes over caretaking duties for Tess and Annie. He’s doing what he told his former boss he would do when he quit, and Brown says the change of pace has proven beneficial for Randall, as he tells Deadline: 

"“What I like about Randall right now is that he’s more focused on the journey. He’s able to breathe a little bit easier. He may still go on a morning jog, but if he has to stop to say, ‘Hi,’ it doesn’t ruin his day that he didn’t get the perfect time. He makes space for other things to influence him, other than being so driven that he can’t see anything else.”"

When push comes to shove, he is the Thanksgiving dad that keeps rigid holiday traditions, so it’s something of a relief to hear that Randall will be more open and relaxed in Season 2. Whether for his daily life or for his big-picture mental health, Randall needed to slow down and re-calibrate.

Meanwhile, Brown opens up about his motivations for his character and Randall’s all too brief reconnection with William. Since his own father passed away when Brown was 10, the Emmy winner pulled from that experience and its various emotions, but he also completely leaned into the unpredictability of Randall’s different layers.

"“Randall has a lot of colors. There’s an emotional gymnastics to the character that you have to breathe into. You can’t predict it, you can’t try to force it in any particular way, but if you’re present with your scene partners and you’ve done your homework, you try to live in the moment.”"

Living in the moment? That’s something Randall Pearson definitely didn’t do in Season 1. Rewind and watch a recap of Randall’s story so far in the video below!

Next: Sterling K. Brown discusses the importance of transracial adoption on This Is Us

Are you excited to see where Season 2 of This Is Us takes Randall? What do you hope to see with his minor character change? Sound off in the comments, and keep the conversation going over on Twitter at @thisisuscrying. Be sure to head over to Deadline Hollywood to read Sterling K. Brown’s full interview.

This Is Us returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 9/8c on NBC.

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