>> THAT'S GOOD WORK.
>> IN THE SHOW'S FIRST EPISODE
ALONE REBECCA PIERSON LOST A
TRIPLET AT BIRTH.
>> YOUR WIFE IS IN DISTRESS,
JACK.
>> THEN GAINED ANOTHER ONE.
>> BIG THREE?
>> BIG THREE.
>> LAYING THE BACK STORY FOR THE
WEEKLY EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER
THAT IS "THIS IS US."
>> WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE FOR
YOU THE LAST YEAR OR SO SINCE
THIS SHOW HAS CAPTIVATED PEOPLE,
HUSBANDS AND WIVES ARE CRYING
TOGETHER?
>> HONESTLY, IT'S -- IT'S
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED ALL OF OUR
LIVES.
LIKE EVERYONE THAT'S A PART OF
IT.
AND I FEEL SO LUCKY TO HAVE THIS
EXPERIENCE WITH THIS GROUP OF
ACTORS AND HUMANS.
THEY ARE THE BEST.
>> BUT IT'S CRAZY TO SEE THE
AFFECTION PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN FOR
THE SHOW.
IT FEELS IMPORTANT IN A WEIRD
WAY.
IT FEELS ODD TO SAY.
I THINK LIKE THERE'S SO MUCH
MADNESS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD
AND SO MUCH OF THE TIME I THINK
WE'RE BEING FORCED TO CHOOSE
LIKE ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER AND
THIS SHOW KIND OF LEAVES ALL OF
THAT AT THE DOOR AND IT'S ABOUT
UNITING US ALL.
THERE'S SO MUCH THAT'S SORT OF
REPRESENTED ON THE SHOW AND I
THINK PEOPLE CAN SORT OF SEE A
LITTLE SLICE OF THEIR OWN LIFE.
>> YOU'RE MY HUSBAND AND I AM
YOUR WIFE AND IF YOU HAVE A
PROBLEM, WE'LL FIX IT TOGETHER.
>> THE ROLE THAT CHANGED MANDY'S
LIFE IS A ROLE SHE ALMOST PASSED
ON.
>> IN NETWORK PIL SEASON IT'S
WHERE ALL THE NETWORKS MAKE
THEIR FIRST EPISODE OF
TELEVISION AND CHOOSE WHAT SHOWS
WILL BE PICKED.
I HAD DONE THREE IN A ROW THAT
HAD BEEN MADE BUT NOT PICKED.
I WAS FEELING PRETTY DOWN ABOUT
MYSELF.
I REMEMBER MY SORT OF TEAM, WE
WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S
NOT THROW OUR NAME IN THE HAT
FOR THOSE LIST OF PROJECTS AND
THEN THE SCRIPT FOR "THIS IS US"
CAME ALONG.
I REMEMBER RECEIVING IT, ISN'T
THIS WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO DO?
I DON'T WANT TO BE DEVASTATED
AGAIN IF I'M SOMEHOW LUCKY
ENOUGH TO BE A PART OF THIS.
>> STARRING AS A SOMETIMES 22,
SOMETIMES 66 MOTHER IS A LONG
WAY FROM MANDY MOORE'S SHOW BIZ
BEGINNINGS AS A 15-YEAR-OLD POP
STAR.
*
>> MANDY CAME UP IN THE LATE
'90s ERA OF BRITTNEY, CHRISTINA
AND JESSICA.
GROWING UP IN ORLANDO, HER BIG
BREAK CAME FROM A VERY UNLIKELY
PLACE.
>> YOU HAVE TO HELP ME CONFIRM
OR DENY THE STORY OF HOW YOU
WERE DISCOVERED EFFECTIVELY.
>> BY A FEDEX GUY.
>> THAT'S A TRUE STORY?
>> YEAH, IT IS.
>> HOW DOES THAT GO?
>> I WAS SINGING FOR THE -- AN
ICE HOCKEY TEAM IN ORLANDO,
FLORIDA, AND THESE TWO GENTLEMEN
WERE LIKE, WE'RE SONGWRITERS AND
WE HAVE A BUNCH OF ORIGINAL
MUSIC AND IF YOU WANT TO PAY FOR
THE STUDIO TIME, YOU CAN HAVE
THESE ORIGINAL SONGS.
I REMEMBER I WAS IN THE STUDIO
FOR LIKE THREE OR FOUR DAYS AND
UNBEKNOWNST TO ME A GUY WHO
WORKS FOR FED EX WAS LIKE, I
LIKE THAT GIRL'S VOICE.
I HAVE A FRIEND OF A FRIEND OF A
FRIEND OF A FRIEND WHO'S THE
HEAD OF URBAN EPIC RECORDS.
I'M GOING TO SENDS HIM THIS DEMO
TAPE AND HE DID.
>> SHORTLY THEREAFTER --
>> SIX MONTHS LATER I HAD -- I
WENT OUT TO L.A. AND I MADE THE
CANDY MUSIC VIDEO.
I WENT TO VIRGINIA BEACH AND I
OPENED FOR N SYNC.
>> YOU WENT TO THE HOCKEY RINK
FROM OPENING FOR N SYNC.
>> YEAH.
>> BY ALL ACCOUNTS, YOU'VE COME
OUT THE OTHER SIDE.
>> ALL AN ACT, WILLIE.
>> MANDY FIRST SHOWED THAT
ACTING PROMISE IN 2001 WITH A
BREAKOUT ROLE IN "THE PRINCESS
DIARIES."
THE NEXT YEAR SHE STARRED IN "A
WALK TO REMEMBER."
IN THE DECADE OR SO THAT
FOLLOWED, MANDY CONTINUED TO ACT
IN MOVIES AND ON TELEVISION, BUT
THE OFFERS SLOWED AND SHE
WONDERED ABOUT HER CAREER.
DURING THAT TIME MOORE MET AND
MARRIED MUSICIAN RYAN ADAMS, BUT
AFTER NEARLY SIX YEARS OF
MARRIAGE THE PAIR SPLIT.
>> I WAS PERSONALLY IN A BAD
SPOT.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF LIKE A
DIVORCE.
PROFESSIONALLY I JUST COULDN'T
GET THE BALL ROLLING.
I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I WAS LIKE, WELL, MAYBE I SHOULD
GO BACK TO MUSIC, BUT I DON'T
EVEN KNOW HOW TO GET THAT
STARTED AGAIN.
I WAS LIKE, MAYBE I'LL GO BACK
TO SCHOOL.
I REALLY FELT LOST.
>> WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT WHERE
YOU SAID, MAYBE ACTING IS OVER
FOR ME?
I'M NOT GOING TO ACT ANYMORE?
>> YEAH.
I THOUGHT THAT.
I ABSOLUTELY THOUGHT THAT.
>> THEN HERE COMES A BOLT OF
LIGHTNING.
>> A SURPRISE IN EVERY WAY.
I STILL SIT HERE AND I'M LIKE,
OH.
I'M NOT GOING TO GET EMOTIONAL.
I -- I THINK ABOUT MY LIFE EVEN
A YEAR AGO AND IT IS SO
UNBELIEVABLYIFFERENT TO THINK
NOW WHERE LIFE HAS SORT OF
SHIFTED 180 DEGREES IS -- I FEEL
SO MUCH MORE PRESENT AND AWARE
AND GRATEFUL FOR THIS MOMENT IN
MY LIFE.
>> ANOTHER REASON FOR THAT
GRATITUDE, MANDY HAS FOUND LOVE
AGAIN.
SHE IS RECENTLY ENGAGED TO
MUSICIAN TAYLOR GOLDSCHMIDT.
>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR TO YOU
HAVE FOUND TAYLOR AND HAVE THIS
GUY IN YOUR LIFE?
>> I FEEL LIKE THE LUCKIEST GIRL
IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
>> YOU'VE SAID THE COMBINATION
OF GETTING MARRIED AND PLAYING A
MOTHER ON YOUR SHOW HAS OPENED
UP YOUR MIND TO I WANT TO BE A
MOM IN REAL LIFE.
YOU'RE READY FOR THAT?
>> I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A
MOM.
YEAH.
I THINK I WAS WAITING FOR THE
RIGHT PERSON AND RIGHT TIME TO
SORT OF COINCIDE.
I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY THE
NEXT CHAPTER FOR ME, SOONER
RATHER THAN LATER.
GOT TO FIGURE IT OUT WITH THE
SHOW AND HOW I CAN KIND OF TIME
IT OUT CORRECTLY BUT, YEAH, I'M
EXCITED.
>> 22, 66, I THINK THEY CAN
FIGURE OUT A PREGNANCY.
>> THEY CAN ALTER MY BODY.
I CAN HOLD A LOT OF BAGS.
>> WE'VE GOT A LOT TO LOOK
FORWARD WITH YOU.
>> YES.
>> BABIES, MARRIAGE, SHOW.
>> ANOTHER SEASON OF THE SHOW.
>> IT'S ALL HAPPENING.
>> AND THIS WEEK SHE IS ON THE
COVER OF "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE.
MANDY AND I GOT TOGETHER, BY THE
WAY, AT THE HUDSON HOTEL HERE IN
NEW YORK CITY.
SHE ALSO TOLD ME SHE MAY SOON
START MAKING MUSIC AGAIN AND
WOULD LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH
HER MUSICIAN HUSBAND TO BE.
"THIS IS US" AIRS TUESDAYS AT
9:00 P.M.
MANDY TELLS US ABOUT THE GROUP
TEXT CHAIN THE CAST KEEPS AND
WHICH CHARACTERS SHE RELATES TO
MOST.
THOSE WEB EXTRAS ARE AT
TODAY.CO
TODAY.COM/SUNDAY.
KELLY CLARKSON HAS MADE THE
ALBUM SHE WANTED TO.
KELLY CLARKSON NEXT WEEK ON
"SUNDAY TODAY."
>>> DYLAN IS BACK WITH ANOTHER
LOOK AT THE WEATHER.
HEY, DYLAN.
>> HEY, WILLIE.
WE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT STORM
MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH NEW
ENGLAND.
COOLER TEMPERATURES START TO
WORK THROUGH THE COUNTRY, 40s
AND 50s.
BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK THE
SHOWERS WILL START TO MOVE TO
THE EAST.
WE'RE STAYING ON THE COOLER
SIDE.
MOUNTAIN SNOW IN THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES.
THAT'S A LOOK AT THE WEATHER
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
NOW HERE'S A PEEK OUT YOUR
WINDOW.
>>> AND THAT'S YOUR LATEST
FORECAST.
>> DYLAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
NEXT ON "SUNDAY TODAY," THE TOWN
OF THE FUTURE.