“To come onto a show as a young actor, I just wanna get better.” – Logan Shroyer
The amazing success of NBC’s This Is Us is surprising considering how difficult it is for network TV dramas to find an audience in today’s market. One of the best aspects of the series for actors is the expansive cast, which includes characters from childhood to old age. In a Vulture interview with actor Logan Shroyer, the This Is Us actor reveals that the audition process was not very intensive, yet the experience has been incredibly rewarding.
Shroyer reveals that his casting for This Is Us came relatively quickly. He explains, “For This Is Us, it was just an audition, and it was super last minute. I had a dentist appointment that I was freaking out about; totally canceled on that to do this audition. The next day, I got word that I booked it, and then it was this whole transformation process into being Kevin in the ’90s, getting brown contacts to match [Justin Hartley], and then I was on set the next day. I got the full script that morning, met Dan [Fogelman], Mandy [Moore]. It was just this crazy whirlwind. It was really crazy. We were so nervous when we first got on set. It was so funny. Me and Niles [Fitch, who plays Teen Randall] were like, ‘Okay, here we go.'”
The audition itself included one of the scenes that Shroyer would eventually act in on the series. He explains, “The audition was the very first scene we did, which is with me, Niles, and Mandy in the bedroom. We’re arguing because I’ve got a football game the next day and Randall’s up doing his homework, so I’m like, ‘Go to bed.’ We start arguing, Mom comes in. It was a great scene.”
Curiously, Shroyer had a much less intensive audition for This Is Us than for another project he was auditioning for at the same time. He says, “Right before I booked that, actually, I had six callbacks for a film that I was so close to getting. And then This Is Us is one audition. I didn’t get the film. I was a runner-up. But everything happens for a reason.”
One of the advantages of working on a new series that became an instant hit has allowed Shroyer to be thoroughly invested in the success of the show — and learn from his castmates. He says, “To come onto a show as a young actor, I just wanna get better. To be surrounded by so many supportive and talented people, that’s what’s so great… Being on a set like that, everybody wants you to do good and is giving you that one more take because you asked for it. It’s really been a place for me to grow and start to take risks with my work. I’m still in acting class working really hard, but it’s really amazing that people can see all the stuff that I’m doing.”
