Women of the Week

In our latest edition of Women of the Week, it’s a Beth Pearson affair with our picks being the talented females who portrayed different stages of the one and only Bethany ‘Beth’ Pearson on NBC’s This Is Us. Read on to find out why…

Nominated by Ange: Susan Kelechi Watson, Rachel Hilson and Akira Akbar as Beth Pearson/Bethany Clark on This Is Us

THIS IS US — “Our Little Island Girl ” Episode 313 — Pictured: Rachel Wilson as Teen Beth

This week is was Beth’s time in the spotlight with an episode purely dedicated to her and her history. One of the many things that this show does well is its casting – the two younger versions of Beth were spot on, so much so that I forgot that there were three different actresses playing the one character. We’re so used to seeing Beth as the pragmatic and strong one, leaving the dreaming to her husband. Yet in this episode we discover that young Bethany was full of dreams and danced before she could walk. Young Akbar was a delight to watch as we witnessed the early beginnings of Bethany’s dancing dreams. Next up was Hilson as teen Bethany, a determined young woman to work hard at achieving her dreams. Even if it meant soldiering on and putting on a brave face as her father passed away. It’s through Hilson’s version of Bethany that we see her become Beth and meet cute with a young Randall. Last but not least, there’s Watson, who has never failed to knock it out of the park with any material she has been given over the past three seasons. We’re so used to seeing adult Beth as headstrong and yet when face to face with her mother, we saw another side of her – one intimidated by her stern mother. When finding the courage to confront her mother, Watson’s Beth did not disappoint and we were excited that it paved the way for a new version of Beth that we hadn’t seen before – one who allows herself to dream and chase her passions. That final scene with Beth dancing – that’s all Watson!

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