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FEATURE STORY
the frst was “A Hell of a eek: Part Two” in season four , which he’s totally psyched to do.
“I’m digging the whole directing thing,” he declares. “I’ll be directing another episode of This Is Us this year, and I’ll be directing The Never Game, too. That will keep me busy. The hours will be di erent because it’s not an ensemble it’s a one man show. I won’t have much free time — I’ll be on set working, mostly — but it seemed like a good ft and something I could have a lot of fun with. It’s also a departure from what I’m doing right now, which is nice. I just think it’s a great next step for me.”
Speaking of great steps, well, his marriage to Pernas would be another one of those. I’m going to kick it back here to the season fve fnale of This Is Us, “The Adirondacks,” titled as such around the wedding gift of two Adirondack chairs that icky ri n unne makes for evin, the intention behind the gift being that he perceives marriage to be “two people sitting in comfortable silence next to each other.” And while that sweet sentiment makes evin reali e he’s about to marry the wrong person, the exact opposite is true for Hartley.
“ e got married in arch, and we are so happy!” he says when I congratulate him on his nuptials. “It’s incredible when you’re not forcing things. It doesn’t have to be that hard. ou just meet the right person and you just go, h, this is ama ing. It’s just so wonderful!’ ou’re so attracted and so attached to this person. ou just love this person so much. ven though we’ve only been married a few months, it’s hard to remember what it was like without her. hen I re met her, I just knew. It’s so interesting about the human heart and human mind. It’s not a codependency I’m just at peace with myself. I feel loved and I feel appreciated. I know she feels the same way. e just have a really great relationship and a really terrifc family. It’s healthy and it’s wonderful.” hen talking about Pernas, he lights up, and it’s pretty beautiful to see. So I ask him this: oes she complete him, Jerry Maguire style? And also, does she make him a better person?
“Both, completely both. verything is easier with her in my life. I also feel like I’m better at stu . I learn from her. She speaks fve languages. She’s brilliant, she’s incredible, she’s fun to look at. verything about her is ama ing — she’s just hilarious. She inspires me to want to be a better man, like ack icholson said in As Good as It Gets. I want to rise to the occasion because she’s so great. She does make me want to be a better person, and this kind of love certainly does complete me,” he declares.
I mean, is aww even enough here? I’m about to cry This Is Us worthy tears.
But frst, a lesson. Timing is everything, a point upon which Hartley and I are in total agreement. He initially met his oroccan born partner while the two were working on soap opera The Young and the Restless from to . They were just casual colleagues — plus, he was in a relationship with now ex wife hrishell Stause.
He explains that, when he frst met Pernas, he wasn’t in the headspace to see her as anything more than a coworker. “ ou meet in di erent capacities. e didn’t work together that closely, and we didn’t work together that long. I knew that she was very kind and very nice. I liked being around her. But I was in a di erent place in my life. I wasn’t available. Timing has a lot to do with that. I’m very lucky to not only have found the one,’ but I found her when she was available and the timing was right.”
Speaking of timing, for Hartley, at this exact moment, life has truly never been better. He’s having the time of his life, so to speak. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” he proclaims. “I’m fulflled in so many ways. y daughter is doing great in high school — she’s o to college soon, which is sad, but it’s also very exciting. I’ve met my life partner. I’ve got a really great imagination, but I could not have imagined someone like this. She’s o the charts. I’ve got my health. reatively, I’m fulflled with This Is Us. I’ve got a show lined up. I’m involved in a charity called peration Therapy. ur goal is to deliver emotional support dogs to veterans who otherwise would not have been able to get them. This stu saves lives it helps people who put their lives on the line for us. I’m fulflled in so many di erent ways. y relationships in life are great — my friends, my family.”
He pauses, then smiles. “I’m a very lucky, fortunate man. And I know that.”
And there is absolutely nothing weird about that.
