Inside The Lives Of The Gilmore Girls Cast Today
Let's take a peak inside the lives of the Gilmore Girls cast today. Perhaps one of the wittiest and most whimsical TV shows of its time, Gilmore Girls first lit up our TV screens starting in 2000, as noted by Entertainment Weekly. Additionally, many viewers who watched the show as teens may feel like they grew up with younger characters like Rory Gilmore and Lane Kim. The reason? The series managed to mirror the lives and strife of American teens pretty well during its original, seven-season run.
Thanks to its popularity, Gilmore Girls turned many actors in its cast into household names, and propelled their careers forward significantly. Thankfully, most of the show's beloved cast members were able to come back for the reboot, even if just for a short appearance. Here's what the cast of Gilmore Girls looks like today.
Many actors from Gilmore Girls have gone on to work on new projects since, while others have taken a step back from acting altogether. Some have started families, and others have won major awards. Keep reading to find out what your favorite actors and actresses from Gilmore Girls are up to these days.
Alexis Bledel from the Gilmore Girls cast won an Emmy Award
Alexis Bledel, who played the sweet-natured and studious wunderkind Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, has been incredibly busy since the show wrapped. According to IMDb, she's acted in a steady stream of movies and TV shows, including Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Mad Men (where she met her husband, according to Vulture), ER, Postgrad, and Us & Them.
Now a mother, Bledel chooses her roles very carefully. "More than anything, I just think about what roles I take on, and make sure that it's really something that I feel passionate about if I'm going to leave home and go work," she shared with Entertainment Tonight.
Most notably, Bledel found success in her haunting portrayal of Ofglen in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. Thanks to this role, she won an Emmy Award in 2017, and was nominated again in 2018 and 2019 as well. How impressive! Much like Rory, Bledel seems to take every one of her tasks in stride, excelling in everything she does.
Lauren Graham from the Gilmore Girls cast acted in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Rory's scatter-brained, lovable mom (who might just take the cake for the fastest-talking TV character to ever exist) Lorelei Gilmore was played by Lauren Graham on the hit TV show. Since then, she's starred in Parenthood, as well as the NBC musical dramedy Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, filming Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist's took Graham back to her days on the set of Gilmore Girls. "I had never had so much responsibility and I had never done something that required so much stamina and time," Graham shared, when describing how this role was just as demanding as playing Lorelei.
Graham has also written not just one, but three books that were deemed bestsellers by The New York Times. Interestingly enough, she wrote one of them while filming the Gilmore Girls reboot for Netflix.
In early 2020, Graham shared that she was busy on the set of a Disney+ production of Mighty Ducks. "The kids are so cute and I'm learning to skate," she continued. "Another skill to put on my resume!" We can't wait to watch it!
Scott Patterson has done quite a bit of movie work since leaving the Gilmore Girls cast
To the delight of Gilmore Girls fans around the world, Scott Patterson reprised his hat-and-flannel-wearing character Luke Danes in Netflix's 2020 reboot of the show, grumpy demeanor and all. Though many years had passed since he originally appeared on the show, he inserted himself back into the small town of Stars Hollow seamlessly, playing Lorelei Gilmore's understanding partner to perfection — something he savored. "We were all more appreciative because we knew we were there a limited period of time," he explained to Glamour. "There was a chance this would be it and there wouldn't be anymore after this."
Since then, Patterson has been incredibly busy. According to IMDb, he's worked on several movies including Ape, Yellow Fever, and Con Man. He also took on a voice acting job to, playing the character of James Gordon on Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. Patterson has also been announced as a star in the film The Sons of Summer.
Gilmore Girls cast member Melissa McCarthy ventured into the world of fashion design
Melissa McCarthy — who's undergone a stunning transformation — played Lorelei's best friend Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls. Not surprisingly, the actress and comedian has had a full dance card since wrapping up Gilmore Girls, too. According to IMDb, she's acted in a bunch of great movies, including Life as We Know It, Bridesmaids, This is 40, and The Hangover Part III. Thankfully, she was able to take some time away from her busy schedule to reprise her character in the show's Netflix reboot.
In addition to her work on the silver screen, McCarthy has also given fashion design a shot. In 2015, she launched her own clothing line, as noted by Forbes. And according to Yahoo! Life, McCarthy collaborated with Clare V to design a four-piece collection in 2020.
But don't worry, this doesn't mean McCarthy is retiring from acting. On the contrary, she's still involved in a wide variety of projects, as both an actress and a producer — and we couldn't be happier about it.
Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim in the Gilmore Girls cast, also played a doctor on TV
Whatever happened to Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls? Actress Keiko Agena played the role, and went on to further her acting career once the series ended. According to Entertainment Tonight, she's since worked on TV and movie projects including 13 Reasons Why, The First, Dirty John, and Better Call Saul.
Agena also played the role of Dr. Edrisa Tanaka on the crime drama Prodigal Son. "I loved the idea that it was someone who was so good in one area of their life, as far as medicine and science, and so deficient in the other areas of their life, in the social or romantic aspect," she revealed. "That's something that feels like it's playable and something I can dig into and go long term."
Though she has now made a name for herself, Agena, who was in her late 20s when she started working on Gilmore Girls, still looks back fondly on those days.
Gilmore Girls cast member Liza Weil guest starred in another Amy Sherman-Palladino show
Liza Weil played Paris Geller on Gilmore Girls, who started out as Rory Gilmore's nemesis, but ended up becoming one of her closest and most trusted friends. Fortunately for fans, Weil was also able to make it to the set of the reboot as well, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.
According to TV Line, Weil had already spent several years playing a lead character on ABC's How to Get Away With Murder when Amy Sherman-Pallandino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, approached her to guest star in another project: Amazon Prime's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Upon dreaming up the Carole Keen character, who was reportedly inspired by the life and work of Carolyn Kaye, Sherman-Pallandino thought of Weil for the part immediately. "Liza is a comedic genius — that is the bottom line," she gushed. "Anytime we can work with Liza we will." Luckily, Weil was able to clear her schedule in order to shoot the character's season 3 three-episode arc.
Jared Padalecki from the Gilmore Girls cast finished filming his last episode of Supernatural
Soon after Jared Padalecki finished playing Rory Gilmore's first love Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls, he landed the role of Sam Winchester on hit TV show Supernatural. This show occupied nearly all of his time from 2005 to 2020, according to IMDb – though he did manage to make an appearance in the Gilmore Girls reboot in 2016.
Padalecki finally finished filming his very last episode of Supernatural in September 2020. "Obviously, my head is spinning and my emotions are stratospheric, but there's still a bit of time left on the clock," he wrote on Instagram post, on his last day on the show's set.
Once the Supernatural cameras stopped rolling for good, Padalecki revealed he was gifted an unusual souvenir from the show's set: a Winchester Impala. He told Michael Rosenbaum on an episode of the Inside of You podcast that both he and co-star Jensen Ackles were gifted the cars as a thank you present. We can't wait to see what he does next!
Gilmore Girls cast member Milo Ventimiglia was cast alongside Mandy Moore in a hit TV show
There was absolutely no way Milo Ventimiglia's acting career was going to end after Gilmore Girls ––not with his good looks and talent! To that end, according to IMDb, Ventimiglia starred in TV shows like Heroes and Wolverine before being cast in the role of Jack Pearson on This Is Us.
Ventimiglia's TV wife and co-star on This Is Us is none other than singer and actress Mandy Moore, who's undergone a stunning transformation. From the start, Ventimiglia always knew the show would take off. "I knew that it was special," he revealed in an interview with W magazine. "And I knew that it was different than anything else that was on television. It was heartfelt without being saccharine." He added that it was also impactful without having to force the issue.
Much like his Gilmore Girls role, Ventimiglia pays a flawed character whose heart is in the right place on This is Us. Keep your eyes peeled for more Ventimiglia on TV in the future!
Matt Czuchry starred in a medical drama after leaving the Gilmore Girls cast
Matt Czuchry played Rory Gilmore's lovable (if a little stuck up and spoiled) college boyfriend Logan Huntsberger in Gilmore Girls; he went on to reprise the role in the show's reboot. Though he only joined the cast later on in the series, Logan become one of the show's most iconic characters.
In an interview with DaMan, Czuchry opened up about his work in the medical drama The Resident, one of his biggest roles following Gilmore Girls. In the show, he plays Dr. Conrad Hawkins, resident doctor who is constantly fighting the system in the name of his patients. "The hard work of that journey, overcoming the obstacles along the way, and finally seeing positive results is very fulfilling," he said of the show's success.
As an actor who'd been working for decades, The Resident was the perfect opportunity for Czuchry. "It is the next step in the journey," he continued. "This show came at the right time for me both personally and professionally."
Chad Michael Murray from the Gilmore Girls cast appeared in another teen drama
Chad Michael Murray lit up our TV screens as Tristan Dugray, Rory Gilmore's love interest during season 1 of Gilmore Girls. Although his character was emotionally-troubled, Murray was still quite charismatic, so many viewers remember him fondly.
However, Murray's character arc on Gilmore Girls wrapped up pretty quickly, as Murray was cast in the lead role of Lucas Scott in another teen drama: One Tree Hill. "Lucas was very much the moral compass of One Tree Hill, and there [was] really no opportunity for me to step outside those boundaries," Murray explained to Vanity Fair. Here's what the cast of One Tree Hill looks like today.
Seven years after his last One Tree Hill appearance, Murray finally got to play the villain, when he took on the character of Edgar Evernever in the cult-favorite Riverdale. His wife, Sarah Roemer, was a huge fan on the show, and convinced him to take the role. "Anything I can do to please the Mrs., I'm in," he added.
After leaving the Gilmore Girls cast, Sean Gunn joined the Marvel and DC Universes
Did you know that Sean Gunn from Gilmore Girls has a brother who works as a Hollywood director? To that end, after Gunn finished working on the Gilmore Girls set as the strange-yet-lovable Kirk Gleason, Gunn went on to play the roles of Kraglin and Rocket Racoon in the 2014 Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy. According to Discussing Film, this film was directed by his brother, James Gunn. And though some of us might not want to ever work with family members, Gunn loves working with his brother. "He and I have such a shorthand for communicating that I don't ever wonder what the director wants, in the way that I often do with other projects," he shared.
Gunn went on to reprise these roles in Guardians of The Galaxy 2 as well as Guardians of the Galaxy 3. He also joined the DC universe as Wesel, and made an appearance in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad film, also directed by his brother. Who knew the laughing stock of Stars Hollow would turn out to become not one, but three superheroes!
Vanessa Marano from the Gilmore Girls cast is all grown up
Remember April Nardini, Luke Dane's child-genius daughter on Gilmore Girls? April was played by a young Vanessa Marano, who was only 13 years old when filming her first episodes of the show.
Marano is all grown up now, and has worked on many different projects since Gilmore Girls. According to Metro, Marano produced (and acted in) Saving Zoë in 2019, together with her mom and sister. The film was based on a book by Alison Noel, who incidentally is a huge fan of Gilmore Girls. Marano revealed that Noel actually wrote the book around the time Marano's season on Gilmore Girls was airing!
Marano and her family took on Saving Zoë because of its heavy subject matter, and the important story the film tells. The project was so impactful that it went "all the way to the UN." Since wrapping up Saving Zoë, Marano has worked on several TV shows and movies, as her star continues to rise.
Gilmore Girls cast member Adam Brody likes spending time catching waves in Malibu
Adam Brody was the actor who brought the role of Dave Rygalski, Lane Kim's bandmate boyfriend, to life on Gilmore Girls. He then went on to play the lovable Seth Cohen on The OC, which made him a household name. He's been busy acting in numerous films and television shows since then.
In addition to acting, Brody also got married and started a family. Fans of his will know that his wife is none other than Leighton Meester — who's undergone a stunning transformation — of Gossip Girl fame. The pair met on the set of The Oranges in 2010, and have been blissfully married since 2014. Who would have thought Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf would be so perfect for each other!
While Brody and Meester share two children, they also appear to share a fun hobby: surfing. According to the Daily Mail, the couple was spotted in the water in Malibu in September 2020, surfing the day away. The sighting occurred just a week after Brody announced the birth of his beloved son.
David Sutcliffe from the Gilmore Girls cast has retired from acting
David Sutcliffe, who played the gorgeous but emotionally unstable Christopher Hayden (AKA Rory Gilmore's dad) on Gilmore Girls, announced that he was retiring from acting in 2019. In an interview with The Post, Sutcliffe revealed that he's focusing on other pursuits like life coaching and self-improvement. "My interest turned to other things," he explained. "I became obsessed with a form of psychotherapy called core energetics." He added that he now leads workshops that help individuals find meaning in their lives and heal from their trauma.
Sutcliffe may be retired from acting, but he still looks back fondly on the days he spent shooting Gilmore Girls. "It was fun to play a character that brought so much emotional charge," he continued. "I feel grateful to be a part of a show that has become a multi-generational classic and lives on in the hearts of the fans."