Over the past five years, Justin Hartley has become easily recognizable as This Is Us’ Kevin Pearson. On the NBC series, he’s stolen our hearts as one of three children in the Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia-led family tearjerker. Now, as the series gets ready to say goodbye next year, Hartley is shaking it up with a mustachioed role in The Exchange.
Justin Hartley is hardly recognizable in his latest role, so keep your eyes peeled as you watch the trailer above. Justin Hartley is starring as an eccentric gym teacher in the coming-of-age teen comedy about an awkward high-schooler who decides to host a foreign exchange student from France.
It’s definitely tough to miss that mustache once you see it. Justin Hartley is going for a character role in The Exchange, and it’s nice to see the actor branch off into something new. During the trailer, the This Is Us star and former Smallville actor is seen wearing a variety of inspired outfits as a character named Rothbauer. Amidst the trailer’s exchange student hilarity, this guy strolls onto screen and he’s highly unrecognizable from Kevin Pearson:
Early on, there’s a funny moment between him and Avan Jogia’s Stéphane (yes, the same Jogia from Victorious, Nickelodeon fans) where Rothbauer says he doesn’t “see color” in an attempt to be inclusive. Stéphane makes a funny quip that he should go see the doctor about that, misunderstanding him in the best way, of course. It’s unclear exactly what Hartley’s latest role will be like, but here’s another look at the character:
Yeah… so he looks like he's come straight out of a 1970s cop movie. The Exchange looks like it will be a blast, as the unlikely pair of high school students deal with some growing pains and perhaps learn a thing or two because of each other. The movie is written by one of The Simpsons’ writers Tim Long and directed by Dan Mazer, who co-wrote the critically-acclaimed Borat movies and helmed Dirty Grandpa. There definitely looks like there’s some cringe humor in this, but it may be toned down for a teen audience. We don’t know the MPAA rating just yet.
The Exchange will come to theaters, and become available on digital on the same day, this July 30. The comedy is sharing a weekend slot with A24’s The Green Knight, Disney’s Jungle Cruise (which is coming to theaters and Disney+ Premier Access) and Stillwater, starring Matt Damon. It’s likely to be an underdog that weekend commercially, but it could be a gem to watch out for this summer amongst other major season releases.
Aside from The Exchange, Justin Hartley has one more season of This Is Us left with the cast as the series aims to wrap things up on NBC with six seasons under its belt. The actor also has a number of movies on the way to stay tuned for here on CinemaBlend.
