Entertainment

Toby From ‘This Is Us’ Had Food Poisoning Filming The Finale & You Would’ve Never Guessed

by Ashley Rey
Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Tuesday night's This Is Us finale hinted a lot about the cast's futures. Kevin is seemingly dating Beth's cousin Zoey, Randall and older Tess are debating if they should pay someone special a visit, and Toby is apparently battling an illness. Well, according to Chris Sullivan, who plays Toby in the series, at least one of those vague inklings is semi-true — as the actor was actually sick with food poisoning while filming This Is Us' wedding episode.

Sullivan stopped by The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon directly after the Season 2 finale aired, and he had a lot to get off his chest. Starting out, the actor hilariously had a bone to pick with People for not including him in the This Is Us' photoshoot with his costars Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley, and Sterling K. Brown for the Sexiest Man Alive edition. Sullivan, who looked particularly snazzy in his floral-printed suit during the interview, is prepping to be a shoo-in for 2019's issue, however, as the actor shared the most relatable deets about his latest fitness regiment — including pulling muscles that he didn't even know existed.

Sullivan also shared some insider information about the show, as well as a gem related to that emotional rollercoaster of a finale. According to Sullivan, he's made a few funny attempts at slipping the show's moniker into scenes. Sullivan said, "I'm really trying to work the title of the show into the show." Unfortunately for the actor (and fans), he's been unsuccessful at making the "actually, this is us" line stick, as the crew always catches him. The kicker in Sullivan's interview, however, is when the star revealed that he had a pretty miserable time while shooting the latest episode.

Sullivan revealed, "At my real wedding I wore a traditional Celtic garb, a kilt. At Kate and Toby's wedding I had food poisoning." According to the actor, he had to push through some heavy breathing and sweating in order to deliver that memorable, tear-jerking performance. And seriously, how could one not be impressed with his skills after hearing that?

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

In addition to Sullivan fighting his illness in real life, the Season 2 finale revealed that Toby will have his own struggles with illness in the future — as mentioned before. Prefacing this revelation, however, was the introduction to Toby's divorced parents, portrayed by the legendary Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick. What seemed to be a storyline zoning in on his parent's dysfunctional relationship with one another, panned out to be a vital piece to help fans get to know the Pearson's new in-law.

Right before Toby was set to walk down the aisle, his parents, who seemingly never agree on anything, came together to confront their son on his mental stability. Looking out for their son's best interest, the ex-couple reminded Toby of how his previous divorce pushed him into a deep depression, and they wanted to be sure that he knew what he was getting himself into.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Fast forward one year, and a quick cut of the newlywed lying in bed with the curtains drawn was complemented with Kate suggesting that they "up" his "meds." For just a moment, Toby and Kate's happy wedding was overshadowed with this bit of somber intel, but even though Toby's flash-forward was a bit unsettling, things are certainly looking up for the character in the present.

Fans should totally look forward to learning more about Toby in Season 3 — which premieres this upcoming fall — as the peek into the future revealed that Toby will have a deeper storyline. And if Sullivan's tenacity in real life serves as any indication as to what fans can expect from the character moving forward, Toby is bound to pull through whatever's coming his way.