We were back on the Warner Brothers lot, as we had been the first time around, but all the stages that housed our sets were in different places. It was a constant surprise to walk out of Lorelai’s house and run into friends who work on the Ellen show, because previously we hadn’t been anywhere near Ellen. But on the other hand, because certain sets were so familiar, I’d sometimes lose track of where I was in time—for several fleeting moments every day, I’d think I was still doing the old show, until something from the present would remind me that time had passed.
Then there was El Ni?o. Given how tight our time was on the back lot, we couldn’t afford to lose any days there. But huge storms were predicted. And lots of rain. There aren’t many cloudy days in a town like Stars Hollow, so we worried. And we waited. But not only did it not storm, the weather played its part during the seasonal episodes as though it too had been cast in the show. When we were filming “Summer” it was balmy, “Fall” had a bit of crisp in the air, in “Spring” breezes lifted us up, and during “Winter” we had an unseasonable chill. For usually predictable Southern California, this was nothing short of magical. And the predicted El Ni?o storms? They didn’t happen.
Through it all, the emotion I felt most was gratitude. I treasured every experience and savored every scene in a way that was different from when I did the original show. Partially this had to do with being in a different place personally and professionally. I wasn’t new to the business anymore, and I had a much more acute sense of how lucky I was to be part of this cast and crew. I treasured the chance to speak words written by the Palladinos once more. And I now understood in greater depth how rare it was to have had the opportunity to be part of something this special in the first place. In the flurry of the first incarnation it was hard to have much perspective. This time I was thankful for every single day.
We were also buoyed by the enthusiasm we felt from all of you. Normally, when actors start a new show, we have no idea if what we’re doing will work, or if people will like it. To know we were making something that at least some people were already very excited about seeing was a thrilling novelty, and your support was a big part of what made every day feel special. Thank you so much for that. After all those years of having no answer when asked by you (and Mike Ausiello!) about the possibility of a Gilmore Girls movie, finally I had something to say. And that we’d landed at Netflix was an honor too. Executives usually walk around looking jumpy, but these Netflix and Warner Brothers execs were happy and smiling throughout it all. “We knew it was big, but we had no idea it was this big,” they said. Everyone was excited and proud.
So, what was it like? The truth is, it was so many things at once that there is no short way to describe it, no sound bite that does it justice. But I did keep a diary of sorts (which I wish I’d done the first time around), to try to cut through how overwhelming much of it was and to have a record I could look back on when it was done, to see if that could help me process the whole experience.
Here are just a few of the most memorable days of filming Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2016
It’s the first day of filming. As I said, we had very little time between “Are we doing this?” and “Wow, we’re doing this!” Plus I was on location in Atlanta until less than a week before Gilmore Girls filming was supposed to start. So while normally I’d have had a bunch of fittings with Brenda, the costume designer, and we’d have planned at least the early round of outfits, in this case we had time for just one fitting and had chosen only a handful of looks.
The morning is a bit of a scramble, as they usually are. The first scene we’re filming is not the first scene you see, but it is a piece of the opening sequence, so basically I’m choosing the outfit for the first time you see Lorelai, and I keep fussing over what it should be. Whatever we chose already just doesn’t seem right to me today for some reason, so I ask for more choices. “Just bring a bunch of tops and let me mess around a little,” I say to Cesha, my on-set dresser. Cesha and I worked together for all seven years on the first show, so she knows what that means. She loads up a rolling rack with a ton of stuff. I keep trying things on and taking them off—nothing feels right. A knock on my door tells me the cameras are ready, so I pull a blue blouse off its hanger—when in doubt, blue! It’s a little big, so Cesha pins it in the back for me. Then I jump on my bicycle and speed to set.
I like to have a bike to ride to and from set, rather than take the van they usually provide. Sometimes those short moments in between setups are the only ones I have to myself during a long day, and I like to get even that short burst of exercise. The bicycle I’m using is brand-new—a light green bike that was the wrap gift from Parenthood. Our boss, Jason Katims, gave one to every member of the cast and crew. Nice! The bikes all came with license plates that say BRAVERMAN. I looked at the license plate on the first day and wondered if I should take it off—would I get confused and start wondering where Hank was? But I decided it was nice to bring a little Sarah along for the ride.
I pedal to set and get touched up. Right before we start rolling, I feel an itch on the back of my neck. Maybe one of the safety pins Cesha used to pin the shirt is poking through? Cesha realizes that in my haste to get dressed I didn’t take the tags out. She snips them off, and we start the scene.
The first day is full of happy smiling faces. One of my favorites to see back is George, our dialogue coach. After we run lines, he talks about last night’s American Idol and reminds me how we used to love dishing about it back in the day. I remember being awed by Kelly Clarkson then (whom I’ve since been lucky enough to meet). We talk about how funny and perfect it is that AI is in its final season, and now we’ll get a chance to chat about the contestants again one last time. The day goes smoothly, and it’s truly bizarre how easy it is to get back in the groove I left behind all those years ago.
At the end of the day, Cesha knocks on my trailer door. She has a funny look on her face. “I want to show you something,” she says. “I swear I didn’t see this before.”
She hands me a small piece of cardboard, and for a moment it doesn’t quite compute. “What is this?” I ask her.
“It’s the tag from the shirt you wore this morning,” she says. “I cut it off earlier, but I didn’t look at it until just now.”
I glance at the tag again, and this time I gasp. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it, and neither would you, so here it is:
Can you believe it? Okay, the spelling of the name is one letter off. But the shirt has a name. And it’s my character’s name. And it’s not just called “The Lorelei,” which would be coincidence enough, but it’s called “The Lorelei Two”! And it’s our very first day, and it’s the second time I’m playing Lorelai! And it’s—okay, okay, you get it. Cesha and I look at each other, eyes wide. I wonder if I’ve fallen into some sort of magical fairy omen land. At the very least, I take it as an incredible sign of good things to come. I tape it up on the wall over the sink in my trailer, to remind me every day that strange and wonderful magic might be in store.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10