Sylvester Stallone To Make Guest Appearance On ‘This Is Us’

Sylvester Stallone will make a guest appearance on This Is Us, and Milo Ventimiglia helped land the star.

SYLVESTER STALLONE TO GUEST STAR ON THIS IS US

Ventimiglia, who played Jack Pearson, who died at the end of season one, first weighed in on the character’s death. “Because I am the character and Dan is writing the character, he and I are the ones that get hammered the most,” the actor said of the circumstances regarding Jack’s death. All will be revealed in the upcoming season. “But I also feel that there may not be the complete satisfaction just because the event that happens—the event of him dying. It’s too soon in his life,” he continued. “It’s too soon and young in the character’s that he impacts and I think it’s just something that matter what, there’s no way around it hurting. It’s going to hurt.”

Ventimiglia also recalled the big news of Stallone’s entrance into the show. “When I heard about what the episode was going to be and everything, they just kind of looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, someone like Sly.’ And I’m like, ‘Cool!’ And they go, ‘You think he’d do it?’ and I went, ‘I don’t know.’ And they just kept looking at me and I’m like, ‘Oh, you want me to call him.'”

The actors worked together on 2006’s Rocky Balboa, so they had met before. “I did Balboa a long time ago and I hadn’t seen Sly as often… But every time I saw him, ‘Hey, kid. How you doing? What’s going on? Call me anytime.’ That’s how he always was and is with me, so I felt comfortable reaching out to him,” Ventimiglia explained.

Showrunner Dan Fogelman confirmed the part is just in one episode, but that it is a significant role. “It’s a war period film that Justin [Hartley’s character] is starring in,” he said. “Stallone is coming in as himself in the show but playing a character in the film who’s a mentor figure who starts bringing up some stuff for Justin’s character involving Jack and his relationship with his own father.”