Chrissy Metz just wore a swimsuit for the first time at age 38

Chrissy said that people would give her "backhanded" compliments in response to this story-“‘Oh my God, look at you! You know I could never do that,’” she said-but after years of wearing t-shirts to the pool, Chrissy said, "I’m doing what I want to do."

It seems like this attitude helped her land her big break on This Is Us. Chrissy revealed that she hit what felt like a breaking point after years of auditions. "There were a couple weeks when I was like, Chrissy, you’re delusional,” she said. “I just remember holding on to something I couldn’t really see but I knew was there deep, deep down. And then it sort of all just happened.”

Playing Kate Pearson on This Is Us has given her the opportunity to add nuance to how plus-size people are portrayed on TV. "My thing is, let’s get to the real issues-because the food is the symptom; it’s not the issue," she said. "Everyone’s filling a void with something.”

But she said she's looking forward to the day when she gets roles that don't focus on weight. “People are still surprised that a big girl could be on TV, and it’s like, Ugh, really? Really?” she said. “There’s so much other stuff to talk about.” Hear, hear.