"This is Us" has added "Weeds" actress Elizabeth Perkins to its roster of guest cast on its freshman season playing a character that will be close to one of the main ones in the show.
Perkins has been tapped to play the character of Janet Malone, the mother of Rebecca (Mandy Moore) in an upcoming episode, according to Entertainment Weekly .The breakout fall series will introduce Malone through flashback sequences where viewers will see Moore's character as an adult. Fans may recall that another actress played Rebecca's mom in episode 5 where they first saw Rebecca as a child.
"This Is Us" is big on doing flashback scenes and the upcoming arrival of an older version of Rebecca's mother can give another layer to the family dynamics in the show. However, Perkins is only set to appear for at least one episode later this season - which means that viewers are likely to see only tiny chunks of her relationship with an adult Rebecca. While this is the case, there's always a chance that Perkins will reprise her role down the line if the storyline calls for it.
Perkins, who was known for her role on "Weeds", has also appeared on "How To Get Away With Murder," "How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)" and "The Closer." On film, she co-starred with Moore in the 2002 dramedy "All I Want." Both are formidable actresses that have been in a lot of acting challenges throughout the years.
Perkins joins previously announced guest stars including Jimmi Simpsons ("Westworld") as a colleague of Randall, Dennis O'Hare ("American Horror Story") as a friend of William and Sam Trammell ("True Blood") who will play a frontman of a popular jazz band.
Created and executive produced by Dan Fogelman, "This Is Us" also stars Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Ron Cephas Jones, Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson.
An all new episode of "This Is Us" titled "Pilgrim Rick" airs on Tuesday, November 22 at 9PM on NBC, TVLine reported. Fans will finally be able to see Rebecca's childhood and also what her mother would say during the new episodes.