Yahoo Finance Why Mandy Moore's This Is Us Character Rebecca Pearson Is Her 'Ultimate Guide' to Parenting
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When she first started filming This Is Us six years ago, Mandy Moore wasn't yet a parent. But now that she's mom to 15-month-old Gus, she sees her onscreen alter ego, family matriarch Rebecca Pearson, a little differently.
"I've been so lucky to have the ultimate guide into motherhood with Rebecca," says Moore, 38, who shares Gus with her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith. "She's human and fallible and I don't agree with her choices all the time. But being a mother is always her top priority. Her family is always first."
Now Moore, whose new album, In Real Life, will be released Friday, is preparing to say goodbye to the character she's inhabited for six years, as This Is Us airs its series finale on May 24.
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Jenna Jones
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"It's a lot to digest," says Moore, who admits that she threw up after reading one of her final scenes. "I've never had that kind of reaction to something but I was like, 'This is too upsetting!' We're all saying goodbye to this show and this family in our own way."
Playing Rebecca, who has early-onset Alzheimer's, has been especially rewarding for Moore.
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"I'm really proud of the fact that our show has the depth and breadth to tell that story," she says. "When I started digging in and researching and finding out the plain facts of this disease, it was staggering to me. I've had the good fortune of not having someone in my life touched by that but there are people around the world for whom this is their reality. And I love that our show is able to engender more dialogue and help to destigmatize."
Ron Batzdorff/NBC Chrissy Metz as Kate, Justin Hartley as Kevin, Mandy Moore as Rebecca and Sterling K. Brown as Randall in This Is Us
Ultimately, Moore says she'll always be grateful to have been a part of a project that's been so impactful — for the fans, and for herself.
"This show has been a template for how to live your life and how to have difficult conversations," says Moore. "It's cool to be able to hear from people how it's affected their lives. And I know it's changed everything for me."
For more from Mandy Moore, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
