Sterling K. Brown on Oscar Contender ‘American Fiction’

Through six years and 106 episodes, Sterling K. Brown enjoyed his regular gig as the beloved family patriarch Randall in popular NBC series “This Is Us.” But he could only do a few things during the show’s hiatus periods. Now, he’s free to check out all the options coming his way.

“As an actor, it’s nice to have a job,” he said during a recent interview with IndieWire. “I got a chance to do something artistically fulfilling, with a story that impacted people’s lives by virtue of seeing the character in their living rooms, to pay the bills, to be at home with my wife and with my two kids. My babies are eight and 12. I guess I shouldn’t call them babies, but at any age until they leave the house, that’s how they feel. And I just want to enjoy as much of that time as possible.”

Now Brown is branching out. He’s tackled a few independent flicks that dovetailed with the end of “This Is Us” that offered an opportunity, he said, “to show some different colors.” He played a grieving father in “Waves.” He enjoyed testing his improv skills with Mark Duplass in “Biosphere,” a sci-fi two-hander.

“We had a wonderful time doing it,” he said. “It’s a crazy movie. Very funny, with a lot of heart. He wrote it, so he knew the whole thing. So he’s always going to be apt to play. And as an actor on that playground, you have to be ready. But it was fun. It was very un-Randall-esque, if you will. Anytime you can do something…