Inside Milo Ventimiglia & Mandy Moore's Tense Behind-The-Scenes Argument

Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore starred as Jack and Rebecca Pearson, parents of the "big three," on "This Is Us," which ran for six seasons on NBC. The two made a beautiful and relatable on-screen couple, but at one point, things got so heated that the two ended up using the f-word towards each other on set as they were filming a scene. We have to admit, we didn't see that coming; add that to the previously untold truths about "This Is Us." Here's what happened, how things escalated so dramatically, and how the actors really feel about each other.

On an episode of the podcast "This Was Us," hosted by Moore and show co-stars Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, Ventimiglia and Moore talked about filming the huge Valentine's Day fight that's a big part of the Season 1 finale (IYKYK). For those who don't know, the argument started with Moore's character wanting to go on tour as a singer, but she hadn't told her husband (Ventimiglia's character) that a member of the band was someone she used to date. There's jealousy, anger, and all kinds of harsh words in the version that fans saw, but it went even further in one take.

Milo Ventimiglia revealed on "This Was Us" that as the cameras were rolling for one of the takes of that pivotal scene at the end of Season 1, he ended up saying, "f*** you" to Mandy Moore. And Moore didn't just take it. Ventimiglia described what happened next: "I kind of started to look away. [But] Mandy literally, finger under my chin, pulled my face back. [...] and said, 'Look me in the f***ing face.'" We thought what made it to the screen was powerful; we couldn't imagine it going that far!

But for Moore, it made sense that it happened, even if it may have been unexpected. "We were in the heat of the moment. [...] sometimes you just have to go there," Moore explained on "This Was Us." The angry, vulgar exchange didn't seem to have been a scripted moment, and of course, it didn't make the cut for network television. However, Ventimiglia confirmed that he had watched that footage of the two of them swearing at each other, so there's a copy of it somewhere. We have to admit, we'd love to see that version.

It's important to note that it was as their characters that Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore ended up cursing at each other on set; the two aren't like that with each other in real life. In fact, Ventimiglia started the whole story about what happened by acknowledging how lovely Moore is in real life, and she confirmed that she'd never been sworn at like that before.

The two have had nothing but praise for each other after having worked together for years. In an interview with E! News in 2022, Ventimiglia talked glowingly about Moore, saying: "I just think the world of her. She's wonderful." And in 2023, after Moore was asked about Ventimiglia's secret marriage to Jarah Mariano, she told Extra, "if Milo's happy, I am so happy for him."

Seeing them reunited on the "This Was Us" podcast, their friendship seems as strong as ever. Clearly they got comfortable enough with each other to be able to push the boundaries all the way to hurling the f-word at each other without hurting the other's feelings, making for what now seems to be a fun memory.