Feeling Seen: Lauren Graham’s Connection to Her Gilmore Girls Role
The Z-Suite celebrity, 58, also shared the artistic harmony she experienced with Sherman-Palladino, 59, while embodying Lorelai for seven seasons in the original early 2000s series and in Netflix’s 2016 revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
“As an actress, what you aim for is to embody the vision of the show’s creator,” she expressed. “That’s the closest bond you can have with them, and that’s as intimate as it can get, I grasp that much better now.”
“I believe we both aspired to project the finest versions of ourselves,” Graham remarked about her bond with the creators of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Étoile, “and it has evolved into a truly lovely friendship, a treasured connection for both of us, and who knows what the future holds.”
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Graham also relayed to PEOPLE that she never sensed Sherman-Palladino was pressuring her to deliver the distinctive fast-paced dialogue of the show beyond her comfort level.
“I view this dialogue as akin to reading sheet music,” she remarked. “It guides you on how it should be delivered, and that tempo is what it demanded. It struck me more when I attended other meetings or auditions, and individuals would comment, ‘You don’t have to speak that rapidly,’ and I responded, ‘It’s not my natural pace, it’s the script’s influence.’ “
During the panel discussion at the PaleyFest event, Graham reiterated her initial encounter with Sherman-Palladino’s script for Gilmore Girls.
“I experienced a sense of familiarity, like, ‘Oh, there’s my companion,’ but it’s a role, it’s a character. Yet, it elicited that kind of ‘Oh!’ feeling,” she disclosed.
Sherman-Palladino, on her part, shared similar sentiments but was concerned that Graham was already committed to another emerging show at that time.
“I was wary of developing strong feelings for her,” she confessed. “I conveyed that because they kept emphasizing, ‘If she’s the right fit …’ and I responded, ‘I don’t care, because if I can’t secure her, I’d rather not acknowledge her existence.’ “
Reflecting on a conversation with her casting team, she stated, “‘If she’s this phenomenal and engaged elsewhere, that project will thrive, and I’ll resent you and potentially seek vengeance.’ Eventually, when we reached a stalemate, I uttered, ‘Alright, just bring Lauren in,’ and as soon as she entered, after the first line, I was like ‘Goddammit!’ and that settled it.”
Source: Adapted from People
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