Lookin’ good, Toby! The popular character recently woke up from a coma on This Is Us, but the actor who plays him, Chris Sullivan, might appear to regular viewers of the NBC drama as though he’s been very active for the past few months. Fans who have noticed a slimmed-down Sullivan on red carpets during this awards season may have wondered if his physique is part of an upcoming story line, and Us Weekly has the scoop!
Costar Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth) revealed to Us at a press event that the actor, 36, actually wears a fat suit while filming his scenes. So while it’s still possible that weight loss is in the future for Toby, Sullivan hasn’t had to make any major lifestyle changes lately.
Body image is a prominent theme for Toby and on-off girlfriend Kate (Chrissy Metz), as the two characters met at a weight-loss support group and bonded over their calorie-counting lifestyles. He suffered a heart attack in last month’s winter finale but returned to his typically upbeat self in last week’s episode, even accepting an apparent marriage proposal from his main squeeze.
Metz previously said in an interview that she is contractually obligated to lose weight for her role, as Kate makes a concerted effort to trim her figure. The actress later clarified the remarks on a December visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, explaining that she is not feeling pressure from the show’s team to shed pounds.
“I was kind of like, ‘I hope I get to lose weight.’ That’s a win-win for me — motivated in a different way this time,” Metz, 36, told Ellen DeGeneres. “It wasn’t mandated. It wasn’t like, ‘You have to do this.’ But if this is the story line, naturally you would lose weight. So I’m excited if that should happen.”
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.