Tess Pearson

Tess is Randall and Beth Pearson's older daughter, a sharp, watchful kid navigating a loud, loving, complicated household. She's quick with a dry comment, fiercely attentive to the moods around her, and quietly perceptive about the adults who think they're hiding things from her. Family comes first, even when she pretends otherwise.

Eris Baker plays Tess with a stillness that cuts through the show's emotional volume—she watches more than she speaks, and when she does speak it lands. The writing trusts her with real interiority rather than kid-sidekick business, and Baker returns the favor with a performance that feels lived-in and unshowy.