'This Is Us' star Hannah Zeile reveals the mistake one of her costars made while shooting a Thanksgiving episode that had everyone 'dying laughing'
- The final Thanksgiving-themed episode of "This Is Us" aired on Tuesday, March 8.
- Hannah Zeile said costar Niles Fitch once ate a turkey leg that was "almost raw inside" on camera.
While reminiscing about the annual "This Is Us" Thanksgiving episodes that have become part of the fabric of the show over the years, star Hannah Zeile, who plays Kate Pearson in her teenage and young adult years, revealed to Insider the huge mistake one of her costars made while filming a scene at the dinner table in a Thanksgiving episode several seasons ago.
Zeile explained that the actors are really eating during the Thanksgiving scenes and said all of them know that it's safest to stick with eating foods like potatoes or stuffing because "even if those things are cold they are still going to taste good" as you continue filming take after take of a scene, sometimes over the course of many hours.
But Zeile remembered a time when her costar, Niles Fitch, who plays Kate's brother Randall as a teen and young adult, defied that logic and lived to regret it.
"I don't know why Niles decided one year that he was going to pick up a full turkey leg and just take a huge bite into a turkey leg," she said. "It was completely cold, and then it was almost raw inside."
But actors have to think about continuity, and Zeile explained that Fitch didn't want to "ruin the take," so he had to keep eating the cold, nearly raw meat.
"He was trying so hard to keep a straight face, but his face was like — he just looked ill. When they finally cut, we were all dying laughing," Zeile recalled.
It was an unfortunate acting choice, but Fitch learned his lesson. Zeile assured Insider that in subsequent years her costar would "cut it open first before even daring to bite the meat."
Fitch's temporary discomfort has made a lasting memory for the "This Is Us" cast. Every subsequent Thanksgiving episode since that one (Zeile didn't recall which episode it was, but we're guessing it's an unaired moment from 2018's "Six Thanksgivings") Zeile said, "we all just reminisce on the time that he took a full bite of a raw turkey leg."
Zeile had to remain mum about the upcoming ending of NBC's beloved family drama but echoed her on-screen dad Milo Ventimiglia's recent sentiment to Us Weekly that the conclusion of the series will have "a little bit of magic" sprinkled in.
"I know how frustrating it can be to watch a show for six years and be so invested and then be so unfulfilled and disappointed," Zeile told Insider, adding that she thinks "This Is Us" fans will be "fulfilled" by the ending.
She said she's excited to wrap the show up "on a high note." And, when people think back on the show and its series finale in the future, she hopes they "have a warm, happy feeling," as opposed to a dissatisfied one.
The final season of "This Is Us" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.