15 Things You Didn't Know About Milo Ventimiglia from This Is Us

Getting a role on a successful television show isn't easy - it's something that many celebrities never achieve in their careers. However, Milo Ventimiglia seems to just jump from one successful television show to another with ease. First, he captured fans around the world as literature loving bad boy Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls. Then, he went into a more action-packed role as the superpower-laden Peter Petrelli on Heroes. And recently, he's returned to television screens as family man and father Jack Pearson on This Is Us. And, though he's rocking a way different look than in his previous roles, he still brings the same charm that fans have come to love.

And, let's be honest - no matter what character he was playing, we'd probably watch the show, at least for a few episodes. I mean, it's Milo. However, even if you're a huge Milo Ventimiglia fan, chances are there are a few things about the heartthrob that you don't know yet - and that's what we're here for.

Here are 15 things you may not have known about Milo Ventimiglia; something to consider next time you're eagerly awaiting another episode, really only interested in the scenes he's appearing in. Hey, we're not judging.

15 He's a vegetarian

Milo Ventimiglia looks like your meat and potatoes, all-American kind of guy - he's got a rugged sort of charm that drives women crazy, and you might assume that he fuels his workouts with things like chicken and beef. However, you won't find him ordering steak, or even a hamburger, when he's out to dinner - that's because he's been a vegetarian for years and years. Ventimiglia's parents actually raised all their children vegetarian, and he kept up the lifestyle into adulthood rather than rebelling and going straight for the carnivorous treats. The actor has called himself a lifelong vegetarian, and even snagged the title of PETA's sexiest vegetarian back in 2009. It just proves that you don't need protein from meat in order to sculpt an enviable physique - plant-based diets can help you achieve the same results. We bet women around the world would gladly share a plant-based dish with the Hollywood heartthrob - who needs meat anyway?

14 He doesn't drink or light up

If you thought Milo's commitment to a plant-based diet put him ahead of the average celebrity when it comes to health, just wait until you hear what else he's given up. While many starlets turn to cigarettes to stay thin, and are frequently spotted bar-hopping and partying a little too hard, Ventimiglia is not about that life. He doesn't smoke at all, and the almost 40 year old hasn't drank a drop of alcohol in nearly twenty years. And no, it's not because he's in AA - it's because, at 22, he realized that the party lifestyle of heavy drinking was standing in the way of his career - so he cut it out and pursued his passion. As Ventimiglia has said, he's not going to judge you for drinking but the whole point of going out for drinks is to spend time with someone - and he doesn't need alcohol to make that happen.

13 His charming quirky smile is actually the result of a medical condition

In a world with picture perfect male starlets with smiles that look like they're straight out of a dentist's advertisement, Milo Ventimiglia's lopsided grin stands out. It adds character to his face, and has earned many admirers - who could resist that charming grin? Well, that isn't just an affectation - it's the result of a medical issue. The nerves in his lower left lip are dead, something that has existed since he was a child. “When I was a kid, I would talk out of the side of my face,” said Ventimiglia in an interview with Glamour. He's tried to correct the issue before, even going so far as practicing talking with his lips straight in front of the mirror, but nothing worked. At the end of the day, it's become a trademark of his, and fans love it - it even helped him snag the role of a young Rocky Balboa.

12 He almost adopted a stage name

Many, many celebrities adopt a stage name, either because they want to take on a certain persona, because someone in the industry already has their birth name, or because their real name is just a little bit too plain. And then, of course, there are the celebrities who use a stage name because their real name is tough to pronounce. It turns out, Ventimiglia was almost one of them. The Italian-American starlet's original agent in his younger years told him he needed to change his name to Milo Vent in order to succeed. Luckily, though he hadn't yet made it big, Ventimiglia was convinced he could make it with his real name - so he ignored the agent and kept his real name. It showcases his Italian roots and sets him apart from the other celebrities - we're glad he stood his ground and didn't listen to the opinion of someone who ended up not even mattering over the course of his career.

11 His first acting gig was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - and taught him an important lesson

Like many celebrities, Milo Ventimiglia's first acting gig was a small, nameless role on a television show. He played Party Guest #1 on the classic sitcom, and fans can still track down the little one-liner he delivers in the scene - you can tell he's a star in the making! However, there's one thing about that role that had a big impact on his career - and it wasn't that his character was that nuanced and complex. No, it was the experience of watching Will Smith work. As Ventimiglia told Interview, “he [Smith] knew everyone's name and was so inclusive of everyone. It impacted me and how I am around my sets and my crews.” Somehow, based on how gracious and humble he always is in interviews, we doubt he would have been a Hollywood diva - but still, it's pretty cool that a forgettable role he had over two decades ago shaped how he acts in the industry to this day.

10 He has his own production company

In modern day Hollywood, most celebrities seem to get bored with just acting, or just singing, etc. Everyone wants to be a triple (or quadruple) threat, and actors end up stepping behind the camera to direct or write surprisingly often. Milo Ventimiglia is no different. The star created Divide Pictures with his friend Russ Cundiff, and the company has done several projects, including a series of webisodes for American Eagle Outfitters (starring a young Dianna Agron, who went on to stardom thanks to the show Glee). The company has also sold a few television shows to various networks, and produced an independent film, Tell, as well as several web series and digital shorts. Obviously, it doesn't hurt that one of the guys at the helm of the company is a superstar - anytime Milo appears in a digital short himself, fans go absolutely crazy for it. And, if Ventimiglia ever wants to retire from acting, he has a backup career already on the go.

9 He was allegedly named after a literary character

Milo isn't exactly the most common name in the world, and if you ever wondered where the actor's parents got the idea, it turns out it may have been a literary inspiration. Apparently, Ventimiglia was named after a character from Joseph Heller's classic novel Catch-22, a man called Milo Minderbinder. There are worse things to be named after than memorable literary characters, and it seems like something that Milo's future character, book-loving bad boy Jess Mariano, would approve of. Plus, there are a lot of literary characters with truly bizarre names - in comparison, Milo doesn't seem all that unusual. Given that Ventimiglia's father was in the military, we can't help but wonder if that helped inspire the choice to name their child after a character who was an officer in the Air Corps.

8 His older sisters used to dress him up as Madonna

Okay, this one is kind of hilarious. Fans who have seen most of Milo Ventimiglia's interviews will remember the hilarious segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where Ventimiglia shared some details about his childhood - namely, that his two sisters used to treat their brother like he was a doll and dress him up however they wanted to. And, since they were Madonna fans, that meant dressing him up like the Queen of Pop. He has a sense of humour about it - and even makes jokes about how fortunate he was that his sisters played dress up in the “Lucky Star” years and not one of Madonna's more controversial periods. However, you probably won't ever see pictures of the situation - a teenaged Milo realized that he wouldn't want any evidence of his childhood embarrassment, so he destroyed any evidence. That's thinking ahead! So, no gossip site will be able to dig up those silly childhood moments.

7 He testified against the paparazzi

It's easy to say that the paparazzi are just part of being a celebrity and living in the public eye, but in many cases, the paparazzi take things to a dangerous level with their behaviour. Milo Ventimiglia knows that - and that's precisely why, alongside other celebrities like John Mayer, he went to court to testify against the paparazzi in order to try to get stricter regulations on how they're allowed to behave. The snap-happy media often endanger the lives of celebrities with their behaviour by doing things like swarming their car and blinding the celebrity with the sea of flashes while they're trying to drive, and Ventimiglia wanted to help send the message that it just wasn't okay. You have to admire the star for standing up for what he believes in and trying to help keep things safe for everyone involved. No matter how many bad boys he might play on screen, he's definitely a good guy in real life.

6 He's narrated quite a few audiobooks

Fans of Ventimiglia will agree that he has a pretty amazing voice. There's just something about it. And, it seems that many others would agree - he's narrated several audiobooks over the years. While it's fairly common for celebrities to narrate their own books or memoirs, Ventimiglia has been tapped to voice books by novelist James Patterson - kind of a big deal! Seriously, the Hollywood heartthrob is most definitely a man of many talents. We would absolutely listen to any audiobook he narrated, so hopefully, the ones he has under his belt are just a sign of what's to come. His voice may not be as iconic as fellow actor Morgan Freeman's, but it's still pretty nice to listen to. Sure, it's fairly time consuming to record an audiobook. But it's got to take less time than something like filming a television show, right? Perhaps he'll go on an audiobook recording spree when he needs to take a bit of a break from acting.

5 He's sworn off dating co-workers (now)

Every Milo Ventimiglia fan knows that he isn't exactly a ladies' man - he's more of a one woman guy. Throughout his time in the industry, he's really only had a handful of relationships, and twice he ended up dating someone who he was hanging around with on set. That's right - he went for the co-worker. First, he dated Alexis Bledel during his time on Gilmore Girls. It turns out all that on-screen chemistry between Rory and Jess wasn't just good acting on their part - they were dating in real life too. Then, when he was on Heroes, he ended up dating young starlet Hayden Panettiere. Sometimes, the heart wants what it wants. However, Ventimiglia has since realized that it's not a good idea to date someone you work with, because it can make for awkward situations if things go sour. As he told E! News back in 2016 - “bad idea. Don't s--t where you eat.” Yikes!

4 He finds cooking and cleaning super hot

No, we're not joking - the man is literally perfect. It seems that his Italian heritage has instilled a love of cooking for him, and he'd be more than willing to whip up a dish for a dinner party. And, don't expect to see his house looking like a pigsty - he's apparently a fan of cleaning as well. We'll let him put things in his own words - in a 2016 interview in People, Ventimiglia said that “feeding people, taking care of yourself, cleaning up… cleaning up is very, very sexy.” We'd have to agree! And admittedly, fans around the world are probably even more in love with the star now that they know he's basically a dream guy. Seriously - regardless of who wins the Sexiest Man title next year, we know who has won it in our opinion. Sure, some women may fantasize about a bad boy, but at the end of the day, there's nothing like coming home to a warm meal and clean house.

3 He's a bit of a dork

You know those silly conversations people will sometimes have about hypothetical battles? As in, if Superman and the Hulk faced off against one another, who would be the superhero to emerge victorious? Well, it seems Milo Ventimiglia has put a lot of thought into that. Back in 2010, the star produced a web series entitled Ultradome that was all about those hypothetical battles between pop culture characters. Seriously - he may play characters that are cool, but in real life, he's a bit of a dork and we totally love it. Plus, now you know a great opener if you ever meet him in real life - just pick two strong pop culture characters and debate who would end up winning in a battle. He's sure to have some strong opinions there! We wonder if he's ever thought about who amongst all the characters he's played would win in a battle - sure, Peter Petrelli has superpowers and all that, but Jess Mariano is a pretty tough cookie as well.

2 He's a big supporter of the military

Many stars have shown their support for the troops over the years, going on tours and using their fame and fortune for a good cause. Ventimiglia is no different - but his ties to the troops are stronger than many other celebrities. His father Peter is actually a Vietnam veteran who served for many years, and when he was 18, Ventimiglia seriously considered signing up for the Navy himself. He truly respects the armed forced, and even used his celebrity for a good cause by launching a “Support your Vet” fundraising drive and touring with the USO in 2008. We're not sure why he hasn't really been offered roles of characters in the armed forced yet, but if those types of scripts ever do come across his desk, we have no doubt that he'd absolutely nail it - and it would probably be a role that ended up very dear to his heart.

1 He was the student body president in high school

Before he was making it big in the entertainment industry, Ventimiglia was a California boy who attended El Modena High School. However, if you thought he was similar to his character of Jess Mariano, you'd be wrong. Yes, like Jess, he loved The Distillers. However, that's pretty much where the similarities end. Unlike the rebellious teen he played on screen for many seasons, Ventimiglia was an athlete in high school (he wrestled), he participated in drama productions to help feed the acting bug that had bitten him, and he was even the president of his high school student body. That's right - he was one of the popular kids involved in every activity. We have no doubt that he would have been successful in just about any career path he chose - his high school track record shows he's pretty much a triple threat. It's just lucky for his fans that he opted to pursue acting.