Jon Huertas' Miguel plays second fiddle to Milo Ventimiglia's Jack quite often on This Is Us, but that doesn't mean the actor enjoys his time on the series any less. Huertas recently spoke to Cinema Blend's Corey Chichizola, and said his favorite part of playing the character isn't the fact that he lived and Jack didn't, but being able to portray his character throughout different ages in their life:
That's probably one of my favorite parts of being on the show, is being in present day and the past. I get to occupy several different timelines. The 70s, 80s, 2000's, and present day. As an actor you're like 'Oh my god, this is amazing.' I get to play different versions of this character. What was he like early, what was he like halfway through, what is he like as an old man? That's a gift as an actor.
Jon Huertas change over time is more dynamic than some of the other characters, as Miguel has been through a divorce, Jack's death, and a marriage with Rebecca in those 40 years. Those situations have given Huertas the opportunity to show many sides of Miguel in This Is Us' past two seasons, despite the fact he's given far less screen time than other characters. Huertas will see more opportunities to showcase his character in Season 3, as the actor has previously stated an upcoming storyline will explore the romance of Rebecca and Miguel.
All of Jon Huertas' ages of Miguel are entertaining to watch, but few are as funny and lovable as old Miguel. Huertas softened the character up with age, and made him more of a jokester, despite the fact that he's often treated as an intruder by the Big Three at various family events. Huertas said his character's personality largely developed through a conversation with Mandy Moore, as the two worked together to create a couple that reminded them of people from their own past:
Mandy and I discussed this the first time we were ever doing a scene as our older selves. We had a short discussion about 'should we be playing this our version of what old people are?' We decided, what were our grandparents like? They were just a little more relaxed, they didn't rush. They took their time before they said something, they thought about it.
Unfortunately, most This Is Us fans are still #TeamJack over Miguel when it comes to being Rebecca's husband, but Jon Huertas has said in the past he's fine with that. Season 3 is another season for Miguel to win over some more fans, and hopefully stop the This Is Us writers from writing any more "old Jack," scenarios into the series. Maybe instead they can write an episode that has the Pearson kids stop treating Miguel like he's some kind of jerk?
This Is Us will return for Season 3 in the fall. For more analysis on the show, check out the potential people Randall could've been referring to in the flash-forward during the Season 2 finale. For information on upcoming programming, head on over to our midseason premiere guide.
