Miguel Rivas is a lesson in patience.
When the character, played by veteran actor Jon Huertas, first appeared on This Is Us, fans weren't sure what to make of him. After all, he was introduced as Jack's (Milo Ventimiglia) best friend who went on to marry Jack's wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore). A tough situation for anybody to make a decent impression.
With the show's May 24 series finale rapidly approaching, Jon is taking time to look back at Miguel's less-than-steady, but ultimately fulfilling, journey.
"I think Miguel is always in the moment. It's great about his character. He doesn't expect anything to go as planned or to go perfectly," Jon said in a This Is Us retrospective. "I think Miguel lives not in the black and white. He lives in the gray."
It often had to be that way throughout the series, especially with Kevin (Justin Hartley), who never saw Miguel as anything other than a step-dad.
Yet, Miguel has never been deterred or discouraged. It's that sort of steadfastness that Jon has loved to play.
"Miguel was a very positive representation of an adult male Latino," he said. "Someone who had career ambitions, ambitions of a great love story. He was successful. He ended up in a great marriage. I think that's important to leave the kind of impression on younger people that might look to Miguel as a role model."
This Is Us also provided Jon with an opportunity to a mentor behind the camera. Creator Dan Fogelman asked Jon to direct an episode in the show's fifth season, which Jon described as his "favorite memory" from the entire run of the show.
"It's something that's my responsibility after being in this business for over 25 years," Jon said. "I think I need to fill some shoes so that younger people like me can see themselves on the other side of the camera."
As Miguel's journey reaches its final chapter, it's easy to argue that his story has been the most rewarding of the entire Pearson clan.
As Jon put it, "What I'll take away from playing Miguel on This Is Us is the opportunity to be able to collaborate with the writers and make sure that the character of Miguel was protected developed in a way that took him to a positive place."
It's hard to argue with that.
Watch the Pearsons start to say goodbye when This Is Us airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)