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Hartley, 45, spoke to PEOPLE at Tuesday’s premiere for Netflix’sSenior Year, teasing what’s next for the actor after the NBC hit show’s May 24 series finale.
After playing Kevin Pearson for six seasons, Hartley admitted he’s been mentally steeling himself for the show’s conclusion for a while now.
“I’ve been kind of preparing for this for years and logging all those times and sort of going, ‘Okay, this is a moment that I should remember let me burn this into my brain.’ And I’ve been doing that for so long that it’s kind of just really sweet,” he told PEOPLE.
“The ending was really sweet and wonderful and exactly how we wanted to do it,” he continued. “And no one forced us out. And so all of those things, I think play a part in not being as sad as people might assume you would be.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Tara Ziemba/Getty
As he looks to what’s next, Hartley talked about his upcoming role in the show,Never Gamewhere he will reunite withKen Olinwho served as executive producer and frequent director onThis Is Us.
“It’s about a mercenary, reward seeker kind of guy with an interesting backstory and how he kind of navigates his life based on how he was raised and his special set of skills,” Hartley told PEOPLE. “Although it’s notLiam Neeson, but it’s very much is that sort of mercenary kind of thing. It’s cool. It’s different.”
Hartley said he and Olin have the “same sort of sensibilities about things” and that the pair get along “pretty well.”
“I love him” Hartley said of the formerThirtysomethingactor.
This Is Us cast.Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal
Last week,Mandy Mooreshared an emotional Instagram post about shooting her finalThis Is Usscene with onscreen husbandMilo Ventimiglia. The post featured a sweet snap of the pair hugging on set as the crew around them applauded their efforts for the last six years.
Other actors on the series, includingSterling K. BrownandSusan Kelechi Watson,already wrappedtheir scenes as a television couple.
The pair, who play Randall and Beth Pearson, commemorated their onscreen relationship with a final selfie earlier this month.
On May 4, Olin revealed thatChrissy Metz, who plays Kate Pearson, and Hartley had also wrapped their time on the show.
This Is Uswill airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, with the series finale slated for May 24.
source: people.com
