Lyric Ross is an American actress. She is known for her role as Deja Pearson in the NBC drama series This Is Us. Ross, raised in Homewood, Illinois, is the daughter of Brandi Smith and Stephen Ross and granddaughter of Margaret Smith. She started acting when she was five years old, appearing in commercials and guest-starring in Chicago Fire and Sirens. In 2017, she performed in a recurring role as Deja Pearson on season 2 of This Is Us while in the eighth grade at James Hart School in Homewood, ...