A new portrait of mother, daughter
‘This Is Us’ adds another layer of complexity to relationship dynamic
The dynamics between mothers and daughters are well-explored territory on NBC’s hit family drama “This Is Us.” And its newest episode adds another portrait to the mix with the help of TV mom icon Phylicia Rashad.
Over the course of the show’s run, viewers have become acquainted with the pasts of most members of the Pearson family. Now Beth, played by Susan Kelechi Watson, is coming into focus. Beth’s the strong, supportive wife of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown), and much of her story has been in relation to her husband; this season has put their future into question.
Watson and Rashad first came to know each other when Rashad, who has had an active acting career since the end of “The Cosby Show,” including a recent run on “Empire,” was teaching master classes at Howard University, where Watson was a fine arts major.
“She was so young and so delicate and yet so strong in a very, very quiet way,” Rashad recalls. “I remember her scene as Desdemona. That moment when Othello was about to kill her — it stays with me.”
Rashad and Watson talked about the complexities of mother-daughter dynamics, how hindsight brings a greater appreciation for one’s parents and the importance of representation.
Q: Susan, as the person playing Beth, how did it feel to finally delve into her back story?
Watson: I’ve been intimate with Beth for three years, and I didn’t realize how much about her I had yet to know. And so it was such a great opportunity to go deeper with her. To fill in some of the blanks. Her story is so unique and so very specific, and that was so exciting to me — that they really delved into not only where she comes from, and her life goals, and what her disappointments have been, but also the psychology of what makes Bethany Beth.
Q: The Huxtables on “The Cosby Show” were considered by many to be a groundbreaking portrayal of a black family. Some see that depiction carry on through Beth and Randall Pearson. What are your feelings on these portrayals?
Rashad: First of all, they’re truthful because these are the families from which we have come. Susan comes from such a family. I come from such a family. There are so many people who come from families like this, and it’s important that their truth be seen. That’s the first thing I would say.
Watson: One of the first things that I said to people when they say, “How do you feel about a family being seen this way?” I say it feels normal. And I say, I’m enjoying that people see that we’re normal. I’ll say this: I think black people are not as surprised. I think it surprised everybody else.
Q: You highlight a complex mother-daughter relationship on
the show, one that is very different from the Kate and Rebecca dynamic or even the kind Beth has with her own daughters.
Watson: One of the most complicated relationships is a mother-daughter relationship. The idea of sacrificing certain things in a relationship for what you deem as most valuable or what you’ve been taught is most valuable. I like that we showed the strengths in a mother, a mother who wanted the best for her kids. A sort of dominant strength without demonizing. At no point are you confused that this mother doesn’t love her kids. She’s just loving them in the best way that she knows how. And that’s a generational thing, and it changed from generation to generation as we learned more about how to express ourselves and express our love. We learn what we don’t want to do from our parents or we do want to do.
And to see Beth, who is usually a strong woman who speaks her mind, become someone who, once she gets around her mom, finds that very difficult to be. I think that’s such a true dynamic, right?
Rashad: It’s a true dynamic, a true dynamic.