Susan Kelechi Watson, best known for her role on NBC’s This Is Us, will star in You Are My Friend, the biopic of the late Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the preschool show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968-2001). On Thursday, Deadline announced that Watson would star alongside Matthew Rhys, star of the series The Americans, and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who will portray Rogers.
The Marielle Heller-directed film is loosely based on Rogers’ friendship with award-winning journalist Tom Junod (Rhys). The two became close friends after Junod was given the assignment to profile the television icon, which reportedly changed his outlook on life.
You Are My Friend is being filmed in downtown Pittsburgh. It is scheduled to be released in October 2019.
Watson will appear on Season 3 of NBC’s This Is Us on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. EST.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl2vpB-LnFg
