Meryl Streep’s character on Big Little Lies may be stealing most of the spotlight this season (as someone like Streep is wont to do with pretty much any performance she gives), however, there are some other very notable new characters that have popped up in season 2 that are definitely worth a closer look as well.
For example: The actor who plays Amabella’s new teacher on Big Little Lies this year immediately comes to mind — not only because the character seems a little too good to not be hiding something and also due to the fact that the actor portraying him should look very, very familiar. That’s because actor Mo McRae is no stranger to the small screen and actually shares ties to one of America’s most beloved NBC dramas.
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Before tackling the role of Michael Perkins (which is the name of Amabella’s new teacher, by the way, according to IMDb), McRae was featured in two episodes of This Is Us, playing the part of Don Robinson, an old war buddy of Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia). McRae played the younger version of Robinson in a series of flashbacks, detailing Jack’s time serving in the Vietnam War and how his fellow comrade in arms came to make a significant impact on his life. The role itself was fairly short-lived, but it really helped fans put a few crucial pieces of the puzzle together in regards to Jack’s past and what contributed to making him the man and father he became. McRae’s Robinson was a vital part of that story and one that he executed flawlessly.
McRae is also on Instagram, where he shares BTS pics like this, if that's really why you're here:
However, This Is Us isn’t the only prominent TV series the actor has made his mark on. He also portrayed J Poppa on Empire, Blip Sanders on Pitch, Tyler Yost in Sons of Anarchy, and Anthony "Suger" Cascade in Murder in the First. The list goes on and on, which means we as viewers could have a lot to look forward to when it comes to getting to know his Big Little Lies character a little better.
What brought Mr. Perkins to Monterey in the first place? What does he do when he’s not educating the young minds of today? And, perhaps most importantly, is he really as kind and genuine as he appears? Everyone lies on this show (the title speaks for itself), so odds are this man has a few skeletons in his closet, and given McRae’s memorable works in the past, I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with this latest project.