Mandy Moore Says Moving On After ‘Best Job’ on ‘This Is Us’ Is ‘Daunting’

How do you top a successful six-season stint on one of the hottest TV shows around? Mandy Moore isn't quite sure.

Moore recently said goodbye to her “This Is Us” family when the show aired its last episode in May. And like many actors who wrap up a long-term project, the 38-year-old is feeling unsure of what's next.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moore opens up about life after "This Is Us" and says that moving on from the show has felt a bit "daunting."

"It’s strange. I drove by Paramount the other day and just had this, ugh, long sigh and a little bit of heartbreak thinking that for six years, normally would be going back to work right now at this time of year. I really miss my friends. I miss the work," she explained.

Saying goodbye to her fictional TV family and her co-stars has been a bit tough for Moore, but she's looking on the bright side and figuring out how she wants to enjoy her downtime.

"I feel like I never got to turn off even when we had our hiatus. I got to go climb a mountain or do this or do that with the little spare time that I had but then you just jump right back in. You never fully turn the burner on the stovetop off," she explained.

Moore and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, have a 1-year-old son named Gus and are expecting their second child this fall. Moore is excited to slow down and spend some quality time with her family.

"It’s kind of nice to actually take a deep breath and be a mom and hang out while I’m getting ready to have a baby in a couple of months. I’m enjoying life and enjoying the summer," she said.

Looking ahead, Moore is admittedly nervous about what her next big role will be.

"I love working and I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the best job in the world for the last six years. ... I have been reading (scripts) and thinking about what’s next, but it’s daunting. Clearly, nothing will ever hold the same place in my heart as ('This Is Us'). And, quite frankly, nothing will probably mean the same thing to the world in the way that that job did," she said.

But when the time is right, Moore is confident that she'll know what career direction to follow.

"I feel like I know it when I see it in the same way that I did on ('This Is Us'). I’m remaining open and excited about finding something wholly different, something that is challenging in a completely new way that I haven’t done before," she said. "I don’t quite know what that is, but it could be a series, it could be a limited series, it could be a movie, I don’t know yet. We’ll see."

Something the actor does want to further explore is her singing career; she had to cut short her recent tour to focus on her health. Although Moore has no plans to reschedule the canceled dates, she will continue to make music and will tour again one day.

"We played clubs and theaters, and I was able to feel that connection with people, especially when revisiting songs from my past that I think, for a long time, carried around a lot of shame about," she said. "I was able to reintroduce them and feel such affection for that chapter of my life."