‘This Is Us’ Casts Austin Abrams As Love Interest For Teen Kate

The This Is Us cast keeps getting bigger. The already supersized ensemble drama has added actor Austin Abrams to the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Abrams will play Marc, a love interest for teen Kate Pearson (Hannah Zeile), in a flashback 1990s storyline.

A source told THR that Abrams’ character will meet teen Kate in a record store in the upcoming episode “Flip a Coin.” While fans of the NBC drama have seen girlfriends for teen Kevin (Logan Shroyer) and Randall (Niles Fitch), this will mark a dating first for teen Kate.

Abrams is best known for playing Ethan on the HBO drama Euphoria. The 23-year-old has also logged roles on The Americans and The Walking Dead. There is no word on how many This Is Us episodes the actor has signed on for, but the role of Marc has been announced as recurring.

The surprising casting news comes amid an onslaught of new characters on This Is Us for Season 4 as fans try to make sense of new storylines in multiple eras.

Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time) has joined the cast as war veteran Cassidy. In addition, Blake Stadnik plays an adult version of Kate’s son, Jack, in a flash-forward, and Asante Blackk (When They See Us) plays Malik, a single father who has an interest in Deja (Lyric Ross) in a present-day storyline.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman teased that some of the new characters will have “massive impacts on our main family’s lives.” Blackk has already been upped to a series regular, as previously shared by The Inquisitr.

In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, This Is Us star Hannah Zeile did not address Kate’s upcoming romantic storyline.

When asked about Season 4’s 1990s-era scenes, the actress said the following.

“I really can’t say much, except that we will see how Kate and the family attempt to push forward after the death of Jack.”

This Is Us fans know very little about Kate’s dating history. In an earlier Season 4 episode, a preteen Kate (Mackenzie Hancsicsak) was tricked into kissing a nerdy classmate at the town swimming pool. While Kate had been hoping to meet up with a popular seventh-grade boy, she rolled with it, proving she has always had a big heart.

Fast forward a few years, and Kate sat out her high school’s senior prom and sulked at home. In her defense, the gala was held just a few months after her beloved father Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) death.

The only Kate relationship viewers have been privy to thus far is with Toby (Chris Sulivan), whom she married in Season 2.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.