NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - The Drink with Kate Snow: Chrissy Metz

Episode Date: April 30, 2023

Actor and singer Chrissy Metz had just pennies in her bank account when she landed a role on the hit show “This Is Us.” She tells NBC News’ Kate Snow about her singing, her new book and how she met her boyfriend on a dating app during the pandemic.

Hi everyone, this is Kate Snow. So happy to share a great conversation I had with actor and singer Chrissy Metz for my series The Drink. It's always about how people got to the top. Chrissy tells this hilarious story of the day that she landed her role on the hit show This Is Us and how she had pennies in her bank account, pennies, before getting that big break. You can hear a lot more stories of success from top artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. You can find them all at NBCNews.com slash The Drink. How did This Is Us find you? Where did you find them? By the grace of God, singer, author. Your drink is not vodka, it's water. No, it's absolutely water. Cheers.

Thanks for having me. We're at the 48 Lounge in Midtown Manhattan. The drink is always about kind of how you became Chrissy Metz. Can we go back in time? Yes. You've written in your book, your autobiography about your stepdad. Yeah. It sounds like there were a lot of rough years. Yes. My parents divorced, my mom remarried. And I mean, what I can say about my stepfather is he was such a great provider

and he really took my, you know, my mom's kids in. I think it was hard though, because I, now I have so much empathy and I've forgiven him for all the things that we sort of went through, but he was very tough on me and I don't know why and I felt sort of singled out. Some of it had to do with weight too, right? Oh, for sure. Like he would put a scale out and weigh you?

Oh yeah, definitely make me weigh myself and make me feel pretty terrible about myself. I tried to not take it personally because I really felt like I was a good kid. Not felt, I was. And I am. I'm a good girl. And I want to... I like that correction. Yeah. And I really want to do the right thing. And so I always sort of got blamed for the wrong thing. And I'm like, wait, what's going on? I have, I'm one of five. I was the youngest and my mom had two daughters. So I became the middle child, of course. And I think that's where I was like, nobody's paying attention to me.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But at the same time, I become like a people pleaser. Yeah. I'm like, what about me? Yeah. And I think that's where sort of the idea of wanting to entertain people and make them laugh and make them feel better. Kind of came from? Yeah, kind of came from. How do you end up moving to L.A.? Oh, well. So one of my sisters, Morgana, she wanted to be a print model. And her and her friend, Jenny, heard about this open call on the radio. And it was at the Holiday Inn in Gainesville, Florida.

And they were like, okay, it's just an open call. So can you take us? Cause I was babysitting. Can you drive us? Yeah. Yeah. Can you be our guardian? Can you drive us? Cause mom is not taking us. And I was like, okay. There was a woman sitting across from me with this like brown hat. And so, um, she's like, well, I taught at your high school and I really think you should audition. And I was like, what is this lady saying right now? Like, what is she saying? Why did you do it ultimately? Peer pressure. I definitely never saw her again. And so I don't know if that was sort of like that push to sort of do it. Because in my heart, I was like, help me out. I want to get out of this town. I don't want to live here

forever. You know, like that kind of thing. So looking back, is that a total pivot moment? I think so, for sure. Yeah. For about a year and think so, for sure. Yeah. For about a year and a half, we sort of prepared. We would drive to Orlando every weekend and we do acting classes, like literally cold read commercials. But then I ended up signing on with that manager for acting and singing. And so I went out to L.A. We did a showcase. I found an agent, which was bizarre because I didn't think that was going to happen. And then six months into it, I was taking different actors to auditions,

not getting many at all. And then my agent needed an assistant. And you become an agent. And I then become a junior agent and become an agent. You're helping other people. Correct. I mean, I always joke and say that it's like watching my boyfriend take another woman out every day.

You're like, I hope you have a great time. How many years were you a talent agent? Nine, almost nine years. And then 12 years before This Is Us happened. We were meant to find each other in that weight loss group. We were meant to be together. And now we're meant to be together. And now, we're meant to be apart. How did This Is Us find you?

Or did you find them? By the grace of God, by the universe. Honestly, I don't know. My friend who I worked with at another agency prior said, hey, Dan Fogelman has a pilot. Do you want to audition for it? I was like, yes. Because I love Dan Fogelman has a pilot do you want to audition for it I was like yes because I love Dan Fogelman he's brilliant but you're not going to get an appointment for a series regular role for me and she calls me she's like well I got the audition for you

I know and of course I had the best audition on the freeway on the way to the audition in the car yes but I did get to I remember getting to the lot and I always tell the story that like felt like the birds were birdie or the sky was bluer I felt like I was in a musical right like no seriously the security guards are like good morning I'm like good morning like it was so I was like is this just me is this like foreshadowing I don't know and I remember going to the audition and womp, womp, womp. It was not great. And I remember going home and I was like, you know what?

There's nothing else I can do about it. Because it's done. What was your life like at that point? Like, how tight were things? Oh, I was on the struggle bus. Like, I was driving the struggle bus. I was, well, 81 cents in my bank account. I had nothing.

Wait, 81 cents. Correct. Yeah, I don't know. Many people have cents. Correct. Yeah, I don't know. Many people have a savings account. Like, I didn't know that existed. So then what happens? Does somebody call you? So the agent, yeah, so I got a call back, which was like, okay, they liked me enough.

There's something there enough for them to want to see me again. It was up against me and another girl who was gorgeous and funny and talented. And I was like, you know what? It's probably hers. And if it's meant to be, you know, it will be. We did the test again, and it was just this other gal, Justin and I. And I remember her coming out of the room and she said, I really think this is yours. And I was like, what? The other actress. The other actress. I want to tell you, she was adorable and kind and nice. And she said, and I was praying for you. And I'm like, Chrissy, don't cry, don't cry.

But like, that's just who I am. And so I'm like tearing. I was like, can I use it in the scene? I was like, thank you so much. I got to go. They're calling me. What's going on? I'm like, this is too much.

And so we go in and I think we did okay. I think we did pretty well. And you don't know. There was never a moment where I thought, oh yeah, this could be, this could be mine. So to get in the car and then I get this like random call and I'm like, I can't, I can't right now. I'm too emotional. Like I, and what is this number? I thought it was, I thought it was a debt collector, to be honest. And I was like, I'm not answering because I was late on my car payment. Of course I was. And I was broke. And so

I didn't pick up the phone. called again I was like oh my goodness I was like in the parking structure I can't even pick up the phone anyway I was like fine they called third time I was like okay I'm picking it up and all I heard was hey Dan Fogle and I was like hello hello hello I'm like shouting into my car into like the blue yeah so I'm like freaking out and I'm like this is it because it's either yes. Like that's, that's all it's going to be. It's, but I couldn't believe he was calling me directly. And so soon after the audition, the testing. Yeah. I was like, yeah, yeah, it's Chrissy. And he's like, yeah, yeah, I know. I know who I called. And he's like, Hey. And I'm like, Hey, hi. Hey. And he's like, I just wanted, we just want you to know that you're our girl.

And I said, well, hello. Wait, wait, what? I said, Dan, oh my gosh, I'm going to pee my pants. That's literally what I said. I said, you hired a classy broad, just so you know. He's like, we know exactly who we hired. And I was like, what? You know, just crying. And what I didn't say earlier was that after the second audition, I wrote a letter to the executives. and I just said, listen, whoever you hire for the job is going to be the right person. But I want you to know this is the reason why I resonate with Kate. I know what it's like to be the second fiddle because I was an assistant. I was an agent. I was doing things for other people. I know what it's like

to want to pursue something and sort of feel like you're in the shadows of everybody else. I mean, you're going to make me cry. Sometimes you got to fight for what you want. Sometimes you, yeah, you do. And it's hard to, because you have to be very vulnerable to say like, I don't know who you're going to choose, but I hope it's me. And these are the reasons why. Yeah, you put yourself out there.

I really did. I really did. And you know, for better, for worse. And thank goodness it was for better this time. I know what I want to do. You know, now that we're back, like, for work. Oh, yeah? You going to call your old boss, or? Who I want to see. I am a super fan of This Is Us.

I watched it, somebody told me to watch it from the beginning. Like, when it came out, I watched it each week. Aw, thank you. With my kids, with my family. Thank you. I watched it each week with my kids, with my family. Thank you. It was so special because of the way in which Dan decided to tell the story through three different versions of the ages of the big three, which, I mean, I've literally met 10-year-olds on the street and 50-year-olds who were like,

oh my gosh, I relate so much to Kate or, you know, to Randall or to Kevin. And I just never, I don't think any of us could have ever expected that. When did you start singing? Well, it really was middle school. Really, like, seventh grade when I started singing. I mean, I've always been around music, and it's always been in our lives. I grew up on Motown and country music and all that jazz. You're having a moment now with your music.

I'm trying. I'm trying to have a moment. You definitely are. I just got to a place where i was like i mean going back and forth to nashville for the past six years when i was on the show during hiatus breaks to write music was really what i was doing because i wanted to pursue music on in a real way during the pandemic i met my boyfriend bradley on a dating app bumble yes on the old bums on the old Bumbles. And it's funny because... And he's a songwriter in Nashville.

He's a songwriter and he's born and raised in Nashville and did song publishing for years. But it was lovely because what we got to do was really get to know each other in a very real way and like, that's all you could really do was talk. How long have you guys been together now? Almost three years. And when we were getting to know each other, we realized how much faith and prayer had such a stronghold in our lives and how it bolstered us. And I mean, 12 years of trying to do what you want to do and pursue your love and your passion. You got to have faith. Struggle. Yeah, you got to have faith. Is that where this

book came from? Yeah, exactly. Can I show it? Yeah, of course. So, yeah. This is the book. Yes. When I Talk to God, I Talk About You. Yes. So I'm reporting with some very exciting news. Bradley and I have written a children's album to accompany our book, When I Talk to God, I Talk About You. We were going to just do an instrumental for the audio book that I read, and then we ended up writing an entire children's lullaby album to go with the book

called Prayed for This Day. We're just really excited. It's really cool to do something creative with somebody that you love. Lightning round? Yes. Okay. I'm about it. Best advice that you would give to somebody like you who wants something so bad? Always refer to your intentions of why you want something. What musician would you want to perform with who you haven't yet? Oh, Chris Stapleton, for sure. Favorite moment from the set of This Is Us? It would have to be the table read,

because that was sort of the beginning of that amazing journey. And we knew at that moment that it was really special. Christy Metz, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Cheers.