Happy 10th Anniversary, Gilmore Girls!
Yes, 10 years ago today the very first episode of Gilmore Girls aired on The WB in the U.S., ushering in first decade of Gilmore.
The head spins thinking of a time when there wasn’t a Stars Hollow, nor a brainy girl and her daring mother carving out a life against the tremendous odds single-parent families face the world over.
In honor of that first airing, here’s a short excerpt, and the first, from The Gilmore Girls Companion, about the day Alexis Bledel was discovered by the New York casting office for Warner Brothers.
The first day she walked into the casting office, “I remember immediately being struck by her beauty, and just something about that innocence that she had” says Jeff Block, the casting director at the time the pilot was being made. But after having her read through a couple of scenes, he thought, “Hmmm, she’s not ready to come in yet. It was a little too rough.”
He gave her some notes about how he thought the character should be performed, and arranged to meet her again a few days later at the office. Upon her return, they again worked on her performance together.
“And then he put her on tape,” recalls his assistant, Alison Goodman. “He came over to my desk and said, ‘You have to come and see this.’”
By this time, Bledel had left for the day. “I went into this tiny little office that we used to use as a tape room and he showed me what she looked like on the TV. And no joke, she looked like a Botticelli angel. Her face — in person it was very pretty, very quiet — but there was something about her on camera – she lit up on TV. She looked like an angel, and we were like ‘Oh my God.’”
And on the 10th anniversary of Gilmore Girls, so say we all.
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Nearly three years in the making, "The Gilmore Girls Companion" is an unauthorized, behind-the-scenes look at the making of this landmark series. From the development of the idea to the wrap party for the final episode, this book takes you there.
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The Gilmore Girls Companion 
Nice. I remember Alexis saying that she had a cold during the reading and sounded like a boy.lol What about some Lauren excerpt from the book?:))
Yep, poor thing was sick during that her meeting with Amy & Co. Stay tuned, as we’ll definitely have more excerpts in coming weeks. This special day seemed like a good time to start 🙂
This special day is a good time to start, but I’m a little disappointed the 10th anniversary post didn’t honor Lauren in some way. I like Alexis, but truthfully – Lauren Graham was the heart and soul that breathed life into Amy’s writing. Also, do you have a concrete release date for the book?
Sorry, Lise. I wanted to keep the post short, as I’m sure there will be many recollections of the series today and the rest of the week. The excerpt was simply a brief glimpse at what went on before the making of the pilot. Other forthcoming excerpts will deal with other actors and crew in turn. I’m sure many would echo your sentiments about Lauren. I think it’s safe to say that there was no dead weight on that show.
Even up till now, Alexis still looks like an ANGEL.
Can’t argue with you there, Finley.
I’m so excited to read your first excerpt from the book! You made my day! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since we were first introduced to those wacky, wonderful residents of the tiny fictional hamlet of Stars Hollow, Connecticut! I can’t wait to read more snippets of Gilmore goodness. Happy 10th Anniversary Gilmore Girls! Woo hoo!
Thank you for the enthusiastic response, Lori. I’ve been a bit apprehensive about putting any excerpts out there, as the book still isn’t quite as polished as I’d like, but I just love that story about Alexis and it seemed like a good time to share it. There are some really great memories in that book; on this special week I’d like to thank everybody who shared them with me.