Chrissy Metz has the perfect answer to questions about her This Is Us character, Kate, and her body image journey.
In an interview with TMZ Wednesday, Metz said that Kate hasn't failed at weight loss, and that people will see her character as an inspirational one.
"I don't think that she's failed at losing weight," the actress said of her character. "I think that she just has to make it more of a concerted effort, and that's what she's trying to do."
We get where Metz is coming from on that one — but from a viewer's perspective, it's frustrating that almost all of Kate's plots have revolved around weight, food, or her size in some way. Plus-size people enjoy the same activities and hobbies that straight-size people do! Even in flashbacks, all we ever see is Kate's body image struggle and how Rebecca fueled it. It's important to get that backstory, but the show still needs to make Kate a more complete character. She definitely seems to be making a "concerted effort" to lose weight.
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"I think it inspires people because we're all on different journeys, and we all progress differently," Metz told TMZ of her character's journey. Anyone who's tried to improve their health will empathize with that statement; it's a marathon, not a sprint, as they say. And just because Kate's character hasn't lost a visible amount of weight doesn't mean she's not improving her health; the fact that she's eating well and exercising more regularly is heartening on its own.
The show and Metz's character have faced scrutiny in the past, after Metz said, and later walked back, that her contract required her to lose weight. So it's nice to hear her speak positively of her character; Kate is a true inspiration, regardless of her size.