Milo Ventimiglia on ‘Rising from Ashes’ After Losing Home in L.A. Fires (Exclusive)

Milo Ventimiglia is portraying Tim Timmons in “I Can Only Imagine 2.”

The sequel continues the story of Grammy-winning Mercy Me lead singer Bart Millard’s battle with demons. Milo plays Tim, a singer-songwriter who joins the band’s make-or-break tour and helps inspire Bart to keep going. 

“Extra” sat down with Tim and Milo, who filmed this movie after losing his home during the L.A. wildfires last year.

A major theme in the movie is about highs and lows that someone can experience, which Milo could relate to after the fires.

He explained, “Losing my home in a fire, my wife and I, and you know, it just happens and then you kind of have to jump into survival mode. And on top of it, our daughter was born a few weeks later and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is the most remarkable thing that ever happened to me.’ And having those two life events come just ahead of filming this movie was a gift.”

“Within those moments where you’re struggling and you’re tired and you’re pretty broken, you have that strength within to like rise from the ashes,” Milo noted. “But also, something Tim and I have been talking about a lot is know you’re not alone... So I think having that strength and inner wherewithal to continue forward one step at a time, one day at a time, in the Tim Timmons fashion, then, you know, you're hopefully on the path to a good life."

Ventimiglia also opened about the responsibility and great honor of portraying Tim.

He shared, “What an honor to play the man that is Tim Timmons, and the way he gives so much love and gratitude and inspiration from his own story and journey with cancer and just everything that he is. There was, you know, of course the responsibility of that, but what it really morphed into very quickly in getting to know Tim was the great honor I had to portray Tim, to bring his story to the screen.”

Tim called it a “gift” to have Milo bring his story to life, saying, “I was like, ‘This guy’s just a gorgeous human, obviously, but you could just tell he’s such a great actor, but to find out that as a human, he’s even better… I think the way he portrays life and sees people and loves people is the exact way that I want to do in my life.”

Timmons felt “seen” with Milo’s portrayal, adding, “In this movie, I get to watch myself with cancer. I get to watch myself, you know, my wife getting pregnant for the first time. I get to see these moments… I’ve got compassion for myself in ways that I never anticipated going in.”

As for what's next for Milo, could he reunite with “This Is Us” co-star Sterling K. Brown or creator Dan Fogelman? Sterling is currently starring in Dan's post-apocalyptic series "Paradise."

He answered, “I’m always around, but you know, I think we all take our different paths and who knows where I’ll ever be or what I’ll pop up on. I applaud both Dan and Sterling and all their endeavors."