Gilmore Girlswould not have been so iconic without the lightning-bolt chemistry between its two lead actresses. Alexis Bledel as beautiful bookworm teen Rory and Lauren Graham as the quick-witted, hot mess of a mom Lorelai made the show wildly popular. It was going to take a flawless match for the show to truly work and, thankfully, casting got it right. However, multiple other now-famous CW actors were considered for these lead roles, making for some ofGilmore Girls’biggest"What ifs?"
Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino knew she had something special inGilmore Girlswith its cozy New England vibes and sugary-sweet small-town antics. Each episode had pages of whip-smart pop-culture references and endless banter between Lorelai and Rory. Lorelai, in particular, would have been a challenging role to cast when she is a very flawed yet endearing character.Graham’s performance is one thing that warranted manyGilmore Girlsseason renewals,prompting serious contemplation about what the show would have looked like if someone else had played Lorelai.
Mädchen Amick Was In Contention For Playing Lorelai Gilmore
Amick Would Later Have Her Own Mother-Daughter Dynamic inRiverdale
ResidentRiverdalemom Mädchen Amick almost played Lorelai inGilmore Girls. Instead, she ended up playing the recurring character Sherry, the ex-fiancée to Rory’s father Chris (David Sutcliffe), for a few episodes from 2002 to 2003. Amick toldTV Lineshe got far in the casting process for Lorelai before one problem undercut her chances:“But the network said I didn’t seem old enough to be a mother, which I had thought was kind of the whole point.“Winning the role of Lorelai would have bolstered Amick’s career,but she was still able to make her mark on TV throughRiverdale.
Amick would still end up on the CW when Riverdale premiered in 2016.
Amick would still end up on the CW whenRiverdalepremiered in 2016. Her role as Alice Cooper, thetightly-wound suburban mom to crime-solving, wise-beyond-her-years Betty Cooper was the better fit for Amick.Betty and Alice do some terrible things to each otherwhile dealing with their respective father and husband being a serial killer.Gilmore Girlsnever got so gruesome — but it did go to some dark places, where Graham proved that she was the right choice to play the single mom all along.
It’s Impossible To Imagine Anyone But Lauren Graham As Lorelai
Graham Perfectly Captured Lorelai’s Stubborn Charm
When Lorelai first appeared on-screen, fans were awestruck by her dominating demeanor and razor-sharp quips. Lorelai makes mistakes; she is stubborn and yet so incredibly charming.Graham spits out dialogue like blazing fire in each episode ofGilmore Girls,making it impossible to imagine anyone but her playing Lorelai. In a 2017 interview withVariety(viaYouTube), Graham said she fell in love with the role while auditioning. She was able to use her theater background to get a chokehold on Lorelai, delivering some of the best monologues in TV history.
Gilmore Girls: 10 Ways Lorelai Matured Throughout The Series
Lorelai is a cool, chill and fun Gilmore Girls character, and while she can be immature at times, Lorelai does grow up as the show progresses.
Lorelai and Rory are funny and sarcastic in their own devious ways, fromLorelai’s funniest quotes about her mother Emily(Kelly Bishop) to Rory’s witty takes on love and academia. Graham also woreLorelai’s best outfits inGilmore Girlswith palpable confidence and ease, further selling the character. Perhaps most importantly, she kept fans loyal to Lorelai when the character messed up. As Graham grew and matured as an actress over seven seasons and a miniseries revival, so too did Lorelai.
Another Gilmore Girls Actress Came Close To Playing Rory
Meanwhile, the role of Roy also connoted the usual casting process. Paris Geller is a formidable foe to naive Rory when the latter arrives at the prep school Chilton. Liza Weil is blunt, honest, and amusing in the role that involved making audiences go from hating her character to loving her. Weil also perfectly deliversParis' funniest insults inGilmore Girls, a memorable facet of the character. It was later revealed thatthe producers ofGilmore Girlsliked Weil so much that they wrote Paris for her(viaCollider). Just like Amick, she still got to be on the show.
10 Harsh Realities Of Watching Gilmore Girls Season 1, 24 Years Later
Rewatching Season 1 of Gilmore Girls reveals a lot of harsh realities that weren’t caught when the show first came out 24 years ago.
Weil helped complete theGilmore Girlsroster needed to showcase a kaleidoscope of different women’s experiences. Regardless of which character they were closer to in age, women could see themselves in these flawed yet ferocious TV characters. Primarily, Lorelai and Rory captured the hearts of millions, intrigued by the dynamic between a 32-year-old mom and her 16-year-old daughter. Despite Amick and Weil’s talents,if Bledel and Graham were not playing the two leads,Gilmore Girlswould not be as impactful.
Gilmore Girls
Cast
In the fictional town of Star’s Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
