‘This Is Us’ Star Eris Baker Shares the Best Advice Her TV Parents Have Given Her

If we know anything about the Pearsons on This Is Us, it’s that they’re great at pep talks.

So, when we chatted with Eris Baker, who plays Tess on the series, we were curious to know if her on-screen parents, Sterling K. Brown (Randall) and Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth), are as great with advice off-screen as they are when the camera’s rolling. Her answer? A wholehearted yes.

The 14-year-old This Is Us star explained, “They’re so giving when it comes to advice, which makes me really happy because I would love one day to be as amazing of an actor as them.”

She went on to share the best advice they’ve ever offered her: “Some advice that they have given me is to always focus on your craft and never get distracted when it comes to what you want. If you do have a goal to conquer then you have to give it your all. I think that is amazing advice and I’m very thankful for [it],” she said.

Baker mused that having Brown and Watson cheering her on has been instrumental as she navigates the entertainment industry. “I’m still young and still learning every single day. So, when they told me you can get distracted, [I found it to be] so true—especially as a teenager when you’re going through a million things outside of acting,” she said. 

But Brown and Watson aren’t all serious pep talks and parental advice—they’re also a ton of fun to be around. “They’re amazing…They’re genuinely the kindest people you will ever meet and they’re hilarious,” Baker shared, adding, “Mr. Sterling is a goofball. On set, he’s so funny. When you’re doing scenes with them, as soon as a director says, ‘Cut,’ you’re just laughing all over the place and having a great time. It’s not even like work anymore because you’re surrounded by people that you love.”

That sounds like our kind of on-(and off-) screen family.