Despite Gilmore Girls coming to an end almost twenty years ago in 2007, fans are still obsessed with the fast-talking, coffee addicted mother-daughter duo – and so too is its leading star, Lauren Graham.
In an interview with TV WEEK for Reminders of Him, a fresh adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, the actress provided an update on a Gilmore Girls novel, which she is writing alongside showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Gilmore Girls, which ran from 2000-2007, follows single mother Lorelai (played by Lauren) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) in the small town of Stars Hollow as they grapple with love, loss and the many misadventures in life.
The book will be a behind-the-scenes look at life on the hit show, the conversations that provided inspiration and the many fan speculations on how it could continue.
Back to Stars Hollow
“We announced the book and then Amy is directing a movie in London, so the process is going a little slowly,” Lauren, 58, tells TV WEEK with a laugh. “But for example, I was going through our emails from 10-20 years ago and emails around us putting out hope and the unknown of being able to come back and do more episodes – and that’s one chapter, I feel.
“They’ll be heavily redacted [emails] because we speak in a very colourful way [laughs],” she adds. “But that’s a fun insight for fans into how we’re getting excited and hearing different rumours [around that].”
The cast included a string of stars such as Kelly Bishop, Edward Herrmann, Scott Paterson, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia, Matt Czuchry and Mellisa McCarthy. It was also revived in 2016 for a four-episode follow-up in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. Now the companion book will be the next instalment, of sorts.
“We’re going to try give people everything we can think of: conversations with people, memories, interviews with cast members… we want it to feel like your Gilmore Girls, sort of, dictionary or encyclopedia,” she says.
The legacy of the cozy drama isn’t lost on the actress, whose career has spanned decades across stage, film and TV, including productions such as Parenthood, Because I Said So, Web Therapy and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, as well as being a bestselling author. But for all her accomplishments, she’s still flummoxed by her success.
“I’m always surprised because you can’t prepare for what’s happened, or what’s going to happen,” Lauren explains. “And believe it or not, I’m still surprised I am in this career getting to do it.”
A lasting legacy
As for where Gilmore Girls fits into all of that, she’ll likely have the same response – surprised by it all and unwavering in gratitude.
“The encounters I have with people are so moving and gratifying,” she says of the fandom. “And I can see somebody struggle to say, ‘The show got me through this tough time’. You don’t have to explain it to me – I can feel the appreciation and I appreciate it back.”
At the time of its debut in 2000, it, Gilmore Girls was up against some stiff competition, including Friends, which aired on the same night.
“I thought we were going to get cancelled,” she says. ‘I thought, ‘there’s no way this will last the year’, so the fact that people continue to find it is truly the gift of my life.”
As a recent inductee to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Reminders of Him crafting a more dramatic side of the actress that she doesn’t “get that frequently”, the gifts of her career continue to be revealed.
A Sweet Reunion
In the romantic drama, Lauren plays Grace Landry, who is granted guardianship of her granddaughter Diem after her son is killed in a tragic car accident and the child’s mother Kenna, is sentenced to five years in prison. When Kenna returns to meet her daughter, the push-pull of grief and family unravels.
“I hadn’t read the book, but I read the script and it was so emotional,” she says. “I knew it was going to be a juicy challenge and there were hard days; it’s a hard subject. But it was a great experience.”
Starring in the film alongside Lauren is Tyriq Withers, Maika Monroe and longtime friend, Bradley Whitford who also knows what it’s like to be on a hit show in the 2000s. The West Wing, which has won 26 Emmy Awards and ran from 1999-2006, was on TV at the same time as Gilmore Girls and both shows were filmed at the same studio – which is where Bradley and Lauren first met.
When asked if he could see the political drama returning to the screen, Bradley admitted he’s cautious but curious to see how it would unfold.
“We’re in such a different world now,” Bradley explains. “It would be interesting to see those idealistic characters deal with a much more cynical political atmosphere that, unfortunately, we’re in at the moment. But I am proud to be part of a show that, in a non-partisan way, was about exalting public service.”
Reminders of Him is in cinemas now
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