Milo Ventimiglia's 'This Is Us' Characer Jack 'Has the Same Heart' As His Father

Milo Ventimiglia may not be a father in real-life, but he plays a convincing one in his hit NBC show This Is Us – and credits his own dad for inspiring his portrayal of the role.

“I feel like Jack has the same heart as my father. My father was a very fun dad; he was always coaching our soccer sports teams, he made sure that we had activities to do,” the 39-year-old reveals in Interview magazine’s new issue.

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“He was kind of goofy and fun. But at the same time, he had a lot of lessons to teach us…,” Milo added. “I try and reflect a lot of how I was raised by my father in the character that I’m playing now in being a dad. You gotta be strong for these kids. You also have to be fun and teach them all the lessons, not just one, or two, or three. I’m in my trailer right now, and in it I have a photograph of my dad and I when I was about three years old, and above it, it says “Be a good father” and below it, it says “Be a good husband.” It’s really simple�” really simple, easy things to look at right before I walk out of my trailer.”

Last night (December 1), Milo hit the stage alongside Jennifer Morrison, Timothy Olyphant, Conan O’Brien, Joel McHale and his wife Sarah Williams, and Tory Kittles at 2016 Beat The Odds Awards hosted by Children’s Defense Fund at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on in Beverly Hills, Calif.