The 'This Is Us' actor and wife Jarah Mariano welcomed their first child, daughter Ke'ala, in January 2025

NEED TO KNOW

• Milo Ventimiglia told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that fatherhood helps him with “understanding emotions,” which he applies to his acting work
• The This Is Us star and his wife, Jarah Mariano, welcomed their first child, daughter Ke’ala, in January 2025
• They are currently expecting a second baby

Milo Ventimiglia is opening up about how fatherhood has allowed him to bring more emotional depth to his acting performances.

Reflecting on his parenting journey in an exclusive PEOPLE in 10 interview, the This Is Us star said, "The well of understanding emotions and being able to convey them just bottoms out, and it's infinite."

"It's a pretty wild experience being able to take that new fatherhood and new family and plug it into my work," Ventimiglia, 48, added.

The actor and his wife, Jarah Mariano, welcomed their first child, daughter Ke’ala Coral, in January 2025. As Ke'ala celebrated her first birthday last month, the couple revealed that they are expecting their second baby together.

Ke'ala arrived shortly after Ventimiglia and Mariano, 42, were forced to evacuate from their home amid the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The new mom detailed everything the family had been through in an Instagram post at the time as she announced Ke'ala's birth.

"Houseless, never homeless. Welcome back Ke’ala Coral Ventimiglia 🌈 1.23.25," she wrote. "Jan 7th my family & I evacuated from the Palisades Fire. We lost our home that we were living in & everything we own, as well as our home under construction that we were about to move into. I take it as a gift that I was able to essentially do a practice run for what was inevitably to come."

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"My family & I are together, happy, healthy & safe, which is truly all that matters," she continued. "We are deeply grateful to all of the heroes who help battle fires, as well as care for everyone affected by the aftermath for years to come. This will be an extended process of rebuilding and grieving for many, but we are feeling optimistic & inspired to welcome all of the exciting newness of our fresh start!"

Ventimiglia, who stars in the new film I Can Only Imagine 2, reflected on the emotional roller coaster he and Mariano experienced during the time, telling PEOPLE, "My wife and I, we lost our home to the fires in Los Angeles and two weeks later, our daughter was born. So you have these two completely opposite feelings."

"Just heartbreak with absolute joy," he added, noting that it "would have been impossible" not to put his personal experience into his performance as Tim Timmons, a Christian singer-songwriter who lives with terminal cancer, in I Can Only Imagine 2.

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Mariano revealed the couple's latest pregnancy on Instagram on Jan. 24 as she celebrated daughter Ke'ala turning 1. Alongside a photo of herself showcasing her baby bump in a bikini as she held the toddler in the ocean in Hawaii, she wrote, "Happy 1 year baby girl. When you came into my life I had 2 distinct thoughts, one immediately after the other – I would die for you in a heartbeat, but now I also have to live as long as I possibly can to be around to make sure you’re safe."

"This is the most unique love I’ve ever experienced, just as unique of a soul you are," she continued. "In a world with so much fear and hatred, I know that you will bring your radiating light everywhere you go to make it a better and brighter place for those around you."

I Can Only Imagine 2 is in theaters now.

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