Milo Ventimiglia Got Real About Women's Empowerment In 'Second Act' – EXCLUSIVE
Not many people can say they're immune to a heartfelt monologue from Jack Pearson on This Is Us. If a scene in the NBC drama entails a mustachioed Jack musing about life and fatherhood as slow, acoustic music plays in the background, I'm probably sobbing. But it turns out that actor Milo Ventimiglia has learned a thing or two from Jack's sensitivity. In promotional footage for his role in the Jennifer Lopez-helmed Second Act, he spoke about what he hopes viewers can relate to in the movie, and it's an answer Jack Pearson would be proud of. Milo Ventimiglia's comments about women's empowerment in Second Act may not make you cry, but you'll definitely love the actor even more after hearing them.
ICYMI, the This Is Us star appeared in last year's Second Act, a comedy starring Jennifer Lopez as retail manager Maya. When she loses out on a promotion because of her lack of education, Maya's godson takes matters into his own hands and reshapes her digital footprint without telling her. His lies score Maya an impressive corporate job, so she goes along with this false persona to experience the thriving career she always wanted.
With his Jack Pearson mustache in tow, Ventimiglia played Maya's boyfriend Trey, who feels reluctant about her presenting a false version of herself. It's likely no coincidence that the strong and sturdy Trey resembles Jack and his penchant for doing the right thing. Producer Lopez reportedly only wanted Ventimiglia in the role, and I definitely don't blame her for being so assertive in that decision.
After Ventimiglia spilled in this exclusive clip about the movie's message and how it relates to women's empowerment, I hope that the superstar is extra proud about her casting choice. When Ventimiglia was asked about the Second Act characters' relatable qualities, he focused on the friendships Maya has with her friends and female colleagues.
"Women supporting women, hopefully," Ventimiglia said in an interview released by Universal Pictures. "I think that's a good theme to the film ... women empowering other women as well as people empowering themselves. You know, Jennifer's character Maya looking at where she was in this job, in this life, deciding that she wanted something more and something different and when people were giving her their version of what her life should be, her saying, 'No, this is the version I want for myself.'"
Um, where is the This Is Us interstitial music when you need it?
It's always great to see a man understand the importance of women building each other up, but in the interview, Ventimiglia continued to discuss self empowerment and how to relay the movie's message into your own life.
"We need to be able to pick ourselves up," Ventimiglia said in the clip. "There is only so much someone else can actually do for us. We have to make the decision within ourselves to say, 'Hey, I want to do this or I want to do that or I want to make this positive impact. I want to make this change in my own life.' We have to do that of ourselves."
Welp, Jack and Trey might not be real, but it's clear that Ventimiglia has kept traces of both men alive and well.
Second Act is available on Blu-Ray and DVD March 26.
