As millions mourned for Jack Pearson when his cause of death was revealed, Milo Ventimiglia was watching along himself.

“The cast watched it as a group,” Ventimiglia said. “The second the show came on, the lights went off and the tissue boxes came out. I understand the emotion of the episode. I’m truly heartbroken when I think of how Jack’s passing impacts his family. It weighs on me.”

Still, the actor is looking forward to exploring more of Jack’s past. “I really like being Jack,” says Ventimiglia. “I think he represents the best in a lot of us. Even in his flaws, which we all have, he is a good man.”

And the Pearson patriarch has taught his alter ego more than a few lessons. “You never know when you’re going to get certain moments,” says Ventimiglia. “Live life fully, love deeply and try to be happy.”

When it comes to the future, Ventimiglia isn’t in any sort of rush to start a family of his own. “I’ve never been one to look too far in the future,” he says. “The one thing I’m reminded of by Jack is to live in the present because you don’t know how much time you have left. You have to give life time and know that the universe is going to give you what you need.”