Six things you didn’t know about actress Susan Kelechi Watson of the hit show, This Is Us

Susan Kelechi Watson is an American actress of Jamaican heritage who was born in New York on November 11, 1981. 

She began her acting career in 2004, and she has worked in theatre, film, and television.

Watson is best known for playing Janet in Louie and for her role as Beth Randall in This Is Us. 

And after waiting for this long, her debut movie with Tom Hanks comes this November!

Although she is relatively well-known, there are still plenty of facts that people do not know about this talented actress.

Here are a few things that you probably didn’t know about Susan Kelechi Watson.

Catch her on This Is Us’ latest season currently airing in India on Star World.

Her casting in Louie was "a bold step" and "remarkable".
Before she became one of the stars of This Is Us, Watson was best known for her role on the American drama series Louie, directed, edited and produced by the famous comedian Louis CK, where she played Louis’s ex-wife. She was never expecting to land this role since the kids were white and to everyone’s surprise, women of all races were auditioned, with the part going to Watson.

She was originally a theatre actress and she absolutely LOVED it!
Susan Kelechi Watson studied to become a theatre actress. Prior to working in television and film, she appeared in many theatre productions, including Core Values, Marley, The Story, and A Raisin in the Sun. As a member of the Roundabout Theater Company, she also had a role in A Naked Girl on the Appian Way on Broadway in 2005. Theater acting remains her first love as an actress.

She and Sterling K Brown 'harmonise' between scenes of This Is Us.
While she may eventually return to the stage, the success of This Is Us means Watson probably won't do so any time soon. In the meantime, she keeps her vocal chops warmed up by singing with co-star Sterling K Brown, who plays her husband on the show. According to Watson, the two ‘harmonise’ between scenes — or at least attempt to. "Sometimes we don't harmonise so well, but we try," she told reporters.

She almost planned on working in a coffee shop!
After years of playing recurring or guest characters on television shows, Watson was close to calling it a day and quitting acting for good. In fact, just one month before she landed her breakthrough role as Beth Pearson on This Is Us, Watson was considering moving to Montreal, Canada to work in a coffee shop. Lucky for us, she didn’t do that!

She's best friends with Mandy Moore.
Watson and the rest of her cast on This Is Us are very close, but she has a special bond with Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca Pearson. Not only are these two very good friends, but Watson was also a part of Moore’s bachelorette party and they spend a great deal of time together outside of filming.

Her upcoming debut film is with Tom Hanks!
After years of doing great work on television, Watson is making make her feature film debut in the Fred Rogers biopic, It’s A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood. Watson is starring as Andrea Vogel, while Tom Hanks is playing the titular character of Fred Rogers. The movie releases on 22nd November.