This Is Us is a critically acclaimed drama TV series that debuted on September 20, 2016. For the past five seasons, the series has successfully made its viewers cry with the emotional exploration of the Pearson family. 

The series chronicles the lives and families of two parents, Jack and Rebecca, and their three children, Kevin, Kate, and Randall, in multiple time periods. Unfortunately, their story is ending soon. 

The award-winning show will end with the release of its sixth season. The premiere for Season 6 has not been announced yet, but it is expected to be released in 2022. 

This Is Us has received 221 nominations, out of which 57 awards have been won. Out of those, they have won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. 

The awards are well deserved since the show has the best cast members like Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Chris Sullivan, Faithe Herman, and Jon Huertas, among others. 

Metz plays the role of Kate Pearson, and her teen version from ages 16 to 18 is portrayed by Hannah Zeile. In an interview with Style Caster on March 13, 2018, Zeile said that playing Kate helped her move on from her body insecurities. 

Hannah Zeile on Body Insecurities 

The teenage Kate is an aspiring singer who struggles with weight loss. This aspect of Kate's life resonates with Zeile since she had insecurities and pressure to look thin while starting her career. 

People used to make fun of her growing up since she had a small and less-developed body. However, it became more difficult during her late teens because of the social media version of idealistic body type. 

Zeile started comparing herself with others, which made her chase after "body goals." Even though she became an established actress, her deeply rooted insecurities still got the best of her.

However, playing Kate helped her gain confidence and be proud of how she is. 

Playing a role that does deal with body insecurities and seeing that there are so many other people who relate to it, it makes everything feel so much more powerful.

Zeile considers it an honor to play teen Kate since it helped her grow out of her self-doubt. Kate has a beautiful singing voice, but she does not follow her passion because of her insecurities. 

So, unlike Kate, the actress does not want her insecurities to stop her anymore. Instead, she tries to push herself to become the best version — something she would have loved to see Kate doing. 

Zeile believes characters like Kate help bring people with realistic and relatable body types to be a part of TV series and movies. She has hopes to see a heavy character play the protagonist where the storyline has nothing to do with their weight. 

The actress clarified that the body's shape is not everything, and there is more to a person than that. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Hannah Zeile's Transformation as Teen Kate 

On November 20, 2018, Zeile shared behind-the-scenes moments with InStyle. She took them through her transformation process from Zeile to teen Kate. 

It takes around two and half hours for the actress to get into character. With hair and makeup, she also has to put on a fat suit, including a whole-body cast and a prosthetic chin. 

Zeile is not the only one who puts on a fat suit. Sullivan also wore a fat suit for his role as Toby Damon, Kate's husband. He got many backlashes, but he defended himself, saying it was just a costume for him.