Five Fast Facts About This Is Us Star Milo Ventimiglia

This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia has been working in Hollywood for many years and has been a part of some of our favorite television shows of all time. From his role as Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls to Peter Petrelli in Heroes to Jack Pearson on This Is Us, the 41-year-old actor has been on our small screens for nearly 20 years.

Though he gained a big following after playing Jess on Gilmore Girls, there’s still a lot to know about the Emmy-nominated actor. Here are five fast facts about the star!

1. Different Name
When Milo first came to Hollywood, his agents actually wanted him to go by “Milo Vent” instead of Milo Ventimiglia. Though his last name may be hard for people to pronounce, he decided to stick with his roots and not abbreviate his last name.

2. Crooked Smile
Milo is known for having a bit of a crooked smile, something that has been his signature since he started working in Hollywood many years ago. His crooked smile is actually a result of a birth defect, in which he has dead nerves in his face. He thought about correcting it for a while but ultimately decided not to.

3. Music Video Guy
Milo was actually in Fergie’s music video for Big Girls Don’t Cry! The singer was a fan of his from Heroes and wanted to work with him on her music video — but she was totally nervous to have to kiss him in it — something she rarely did onscreen up until that time.

4. Dating Co-Workers
As far as we know Milo is currently single, but he does have a track record of dating co-stars. While he was on Gilmore Girls, he dated Alexis Bledel (Rory). Then, while he was on Heroes, he started dating co-star Hayden Panettiere (ex-Lizzie, Guiding Light; ex-Juliet, Nashville)! He hasn’t dated anyone of This Is Us just yet, but there’s still time!

5. Fresh First Role
Believe it or not, Milo’s first television show role ever was actually in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! He was in an episode back in 1995 as Party Guest #1!