That Was Us

On today’s episode of That Was Us, we’re breaking down This Is Us Season 5, Episode 8: “In The Room.”

In this episode recap:
* Randall and Beth FaceTime Madison while waiting for updates on Kevin
* Kevin arrives at the hospital and tells Madison his family is his priority
* Kate and Toby navigate the emotional realities of adoption and their relationship with Ellie, the birth mother
* Rebecca and Miguel open up about life after Jack’s death
* Esther and Nasir’s story reveals the invention of the Discrete Cosine Transform, the technology behind video calls like FaceTime

Plus, Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan, and Sterling K. Brown discuss:
* Working with guest stars like Michael O’Neill
* The Mandy moment that sent Chris into a laughing fit
* Why partner vacations without kids are so important

And writer Vera Herbert joins to talk about:
* Her unconventional path into Hollywood
* Writers’ room culture
* Writing personal grief into This Is Us
* The importance of thoughtful adoption representation"

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

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Support Our Sponsors:

- This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit https://Betterhelp.com/twu today to get 10% off your first month.

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🍋 About the Show:
The stars of This Is Us, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, dive back into the world of the Pearsons, reliving each episode and all the life lessons that came with it.

Together, they dig in and dig deep, have the tough conversations, bring in very special and familiar guests, share never-before-heard behind-the-scenes moments, and feature listeners in highly anticipated fan segments.

Join your favorite family back in the living room to examine our past, cherish our present, and look to the future with new episodes of That Was Us every Tuesday.

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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:42 Discussion
01:04:50 Interview
01:34:29 Outro

Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz
Creative Producer: Sam Skelton
Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley
Video Editor: Todd Hughlett
Mix & Master: Jason Richards

About Headgum:
Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.

» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1
» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum
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This week on That Was Us, we’re joined by one of the most pivotal people behind This Is Us: casting director Josh Einsohn. Josh reflects on 25 years in casting and shares how he got his start in production, what led him to feel passionate about casting, and how This Is Us ultimately changed his life forever.

In this episode, Josh chats about:

* His 25-year journey in casting and how he got his start
* The role Tommy Lee Jones played early in his career
* Working on The Polar Express and The West Wing
* Partnering with Tiffany Little Canfield to cast This Is Us
* Bringing Jon Huertas onto the show
* The pressure of casting multiple ages of the same characters
* The urgent recasting of the teen Big Three
* How auditions changed after COVID
* Casting Griffin Dunne as Nicky
* Casting Jennifer Morrison as Cassidy
* His advice for actors navigating the industry
* How This Is Us influenced his decision to adopt his daughter, Molly"

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

-------------------------
Support Our Sponsors:

- With Shipt, it’s never just a delivery order – it’s shopped same day – in the same way you would. Use code "podcast" to get a year of Shipt for only $49 – HALF OFF the regular $99 price – at https://Shipt.com/offer. Terms apply

-------------------------
🍋 About the Show:
The stars of This Is Us, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, dive back into the world of the Pearsons, reliving each episode and all the life lessons that came with it.

Together, they dig in and dig deep, have the tough conversations, bring in very special and familiar guests, share never-before-heard behind-the-scenes moments, and feature listeners in highly anticipated fan segments.

Join your favorite family back in the living room to examine our past, cherish our present, and look to the future with new episodes of That Was Us every Tuesday.

-------------------------

00:00 Intro
00:02:22 Interview
01:10:13 Outro

Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz
Creative Producer: Sam Skelton
Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley
Video Editor: Todd Hughlett
Mix & Master: Jason Richards

About Headgum:
Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.

» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1
» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum
» FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/
» FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of That Was Us, we’re diving into Season 5, Episode 7: "There." The Pearsons confront the pressures passed down through generations as we revisit Jack’s childhood with his father, watch Kevin grapple with what it means to be a “good” dad in the middle of a crisis, and see Madison face the terrifying possibility of bringing the twins into the world alone. Plus, Mandy, Chris, and Sterling chat about their own memorable birth stories, Chris shares one of the most painful things he's ever done, and so much more!

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

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Support Our Sponsors:

- David Protein. Don’t just take my word for it – go grab one for yourself. Head to Walmart today to try a bar or stock up on 4 cartons of your favorite flavors, like Blueberry Pie and Salted Peanut Butter, sold exclusively at Walmart. Check out https://Walmart.com to find a store near you!

- With Shipt, it’s never just a delivery order – it’s shopped same day – in the same way you would. Use code "podcast" to get a year of Shipt for only $49 – HALF OFF the regular $99 price – at https://Shipt.com/offer. Terms apply

- You can also find Unreal products anywhere cravings hit, including at Whole Foods, Target, Costco, and other grocery stores Visit https://Unrealsnacks.com/TWU to get $2 off a bag of Unreal. Terms and conditions apply.

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Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz

Creative Producer: Sam Skelton

Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley

Video Editor: Todd Hughlett

Mix & Master: Jason Richards

This is a ⁠⁠⁠Headgum⁠⁠⁠ podcast. Follow Headgum on ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠. Advertise on That Was Us via ⁠⁠⁠Gumball.fm⁠⁠⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on That Was Us, we’re bringing you a very special episode recorded live at the historic Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. In front of an incredible audience of This Is Us fans! It was an unforgettable night of conversation and live music with Sterling K. Brown, Mandy Moore, and Chris Sullivan, as we celebrated one of the most powerful elements of This Is Us: the music. We talked about the songs that shaped some of the show’s most emotional moments, and were joined by the show’s composer, Siddhartha Khosla, as well as the creator of the show, Dan Fogelman, to hear how the score came to life. We also played a live round of Hot Takes with the audience and, of course, the night featured incredible live performances from guests like Taylor Goldsmith, Hannah Zeile, Blake Stadnik, and more, making it a truly special celebration of the music and community that made This Is Us…and That Was Us…so meaningful.

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

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Support Our Sponsors:

- Right now, go to https://Quince.com/twu for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will. Now available in Canada, too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last.

- http://Leesa.com for 20% off mattresses plus $50 off with promo code TWU

- Discover how care in every detail transforms simple routines into moments of true comfort and ease. Head to https://cozyearth.com and use my code THATWASUS for up to 20% off.

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Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz

Creative Producer: Sam Skelton

Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley

Video Editor: Todd Hughlett

Mix & Master: Jason Richards

This is a ⁠⁠Headgum⁠⁠ podcast. Follow Headgum on ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠. Advertise on That Was Us via ⁠⁠Gumball.fm⁠⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of That Was Us, we’re diving into Season 5, Episode 6: Birth Mother. This episode uncovers the long-buried story of Randall’s birth mother, Laurel. Randall and Beth’s journey to New Orleans reveals inherited grief, unfinished love, and through Hai’s retelling of his love story with Laurel, Randall releases the pain he’s carried his entire life. Plus, we're also joined by one of the writers of this episode, Kay Oyegun! Kay breaks down the writer's room experience on This Is Us, how they broke down important storylines, what it was like discovering Laurel's backstory, how she came to write for this show originally, and so much more!

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz

Creative Producer: Sam Skelton

Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley

Video Editor: Todd Hughlett

Mix & Master: Jason Richards

This is a ⁠Headgum⁠ podcast. Follow Headgum on ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, and ⁠Tiktok⁠. Advertise on That Was Us via ⁠Gumball.fm⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices