7 most surprising facts behind your favourite 00s TV show-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Gilmore Girls is one of the cosiest TV shows of all time (Picture: Warner Br/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

It has been nearly 25 years since Gilmore Girls first hit our screens and yet nothing has toppled it off the perfect Autumn TV throne.

The comedy-drama series, which followed the lives of single mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), is the televisual equivalent of a maple latte and a heated blanket.

Now it’s well and truly roast dinner season, there couldn’t be a better time to look back at some of the surprising behind-the-scenes secrets of the fan-favourite 00s show.

And there’s plenty to delve into as Gilmore Girls premiered in 2000 ran for seven seasons, ending in 2007, before it returned in 2016 for a four-part miniseries revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

So let’s reacquaint ourselves with the goings-on in Stars Hollow, Connecticut with 7 unusual facts about the show: from the Hollywood star who got rejected from a role to the real age of a key cast member.

The great coffee fraud

It turns out Alexis really, really hated coffee despite her character’s love of a caffeine fix (Picture: Gilmore Girls)

Rory and Lorelai liked nothing more than shooting the breeze over a steaming cup of coffee at Stars Hollow diner Luke’s.

While Rory made the most of the unlimited filter coffee, the same was not true of Alexis, according to reports.

The Handmaid’s Tale actress can’t stand the stuff so instead she was sipping on coke when filming Gilmore Girls.

Goodbye cigarettes

Lauren and Scott didn’t want to be out of breath for the fast-paced dialogue (Picture: Netflix/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Scott Patterson revealed he gave up smoking before Gilmore Girls to play the role of diner owner Luke Danes – and Lauren followed suit.

He explained they quit cigarettes so they weren’t out of breath for the show’s trademark fast-paced dialogue.

Scoot told The New York Times: ‘She needed her wind. And I needed my wind.’

The one that got away

Tristan might have been originally written as Rory’s main love (Picture: Gilmore Girls)

Rory had a brief romantic dalliance with Chilton’s resident rich bad boy Tristan Dugray (Chad Michael Murray) but it was swiftly put to an end when he was shipped off the military school.

However, Chad revealed on an episode of Scott Patterson’s I Am All In that Tristan was supposed to be in Gilmore Girls for longer – but he chose not to come back to pursue other opportunities, among them One Tree Hill.

Many Gilmore Girls fans speculate that Tristan was originally supposed to be Rory’s big love instead of Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry) but Chad’s departure from the series put that to an end.

The nearly Rory

The role of Rory initially appealed to Paris actor Liza (Picture: Gilmore Girls)

Liza Weil initially auditioned for the part of Rory but the casting directors decided she wasn’t quite the right fit.

‘I got a call and they were like, “They really liked you but it wasn’t quite right. But if [the show is picked up] maybe they’ll find something for you to do”, Liza previously said at the ATX Television Festival.

As it transpired, the teams were so impressed by Liza’s audition and determined to slot her in Gilmore Girls they created the role of Paris Geller specifically for her.

Ryan Gosling’s bum note

Ryan’s Gilmore Girls audition ‘kind of fell flat’ (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Ryan was invited to audition by casting director Jami Rudofsky who had been impressed by his acting chops while casting actors in another ‘gritty teen drama.’

Jami described Ryan’s audition for that show as ‘one of the most amazing I’ve ever seen’ but when he came in to read for Gilmore Girls he didn’t have the same spark.

Speaking at the GIlmore Girls Fan Festival in 2016, Jami said that his performance ‘kind of fell flat’ so he lost out on the role. ‘He knew it wasn’t the right fit,’ she added.

The surprising award

Gilmore Girls was hugely popular but did not bag many prestigious awards (Picture: Warner Br/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Despite being a huge hit with viewers and a cult classic, Gilmore Girls was not an awards botherer during its run.

In fact, it was only nominated once for an Emmy Award in 2004 for outstanding makeup – which it won.

As for the Golden Globes, Lauren was nominated once for best actress in 2002 but lost to Jennifer Garner.

Age is just a number

Keiko was playing a school girl but was actually in her late 20s (Picture: CW Network/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Keiko Agena played Rory’s studious best friend Lane Kim, who was a 16-year-old school girl at the start of Gilmore Girls.

That is nearly a decade younger than Keiko’s real age – 27 – at the time, while Alexis was the same age as her 16-year-old character Rory.

Keiko was actually closer in age to Lauren, who played Rory’s mum and was 33 at the start of filming.

Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.

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