0:01 [Applause]
0:04 I'm Jessica Shaw I'm so happy to be here
0:07 with Lauren Graham I mean I was I um
0:09 anyone else watch all four in a row like
0:11 the second they drop yeah okay I was
0:15 like by Family responsibilities all four
0:18 in a row and time well spent um so
0:22 Lauren welcome thank you and just I mean
0:24 how does this feel it's done this is
0:27 like they're out people are watching
0:31 them this has been so many years in um I
0:33 mean I was lucky enough to be on set so
0:35 I saw you while you were shooting um and
0:37 you know of course the the seven seasons
0:39 of the show and then the time off and
0:42 then coming back for this and
0:45 now how does it feel first of all thank
0:47 you all so much for coming out on such a
0:50 miserable miserable night um
0:55 uh h i it's been so hard to describe how
0:58 it feels that um I wrote about it
1:02 because there's no simple answer but the
1:03 I guess the short one is it feels
1:08 amazing and and um and also we have a
1:13 candle which I do you know about the
1:15 candle I there's a candle that burns
1:18 winter spring summer fall and you smell
1:22 a different smell for each season so I'm
1:24 still wrapping my mind around doing the
1:26 show and and having that experience and
1:28 then people are sending me things about
1:30 a candle so it's it's very real I guess
1:32 shout out to the Netflix marketing
1:34 department I I I don't know did you get
1:36 one no of course
1:40 not what was your first day likee onset
1:41 for the
1:44 movies I was shaking I mean it it just
1:47 was um
1:50 uh we'd waited so long we'd been asked
1:54 this question uh for years and years um
1:58 the the deal making process was um
2:01 haphazard as they always are and so
2:04 there was kind of no time
2:06 between understanding that this was
2:07 going to happen and then the first day
2:10 of work um it was a matter of days in
2:14 fact and um so walking on to set just
2:17 felt very shaky um because I kind of
2:20 didn't know what to expect we I hadn't
2:22 been there I hadn't walked the set you
2:25 know we'd had table reads and one quick
2:28 fitting but um I hadn't been in the
2:29 house I didn't know how it was going to feel
2:31 feel
2:33 um and then and then very quickly it
2:37 normalized and it and it felt like old
2:39 times um but I like and it's it's
2:41 visiting your college campus it's seeing
2:43 a great love you haven't seen in a long
2:45 time it's it's that kind of anticipation
2:48 and then you kind of eventually relax
2:50 and when you spent so many years playing
2:54 this character who has these very strong
2:56 bonds with different people whether you
2:58 know with with her mother Emily or her
2:59 daughter Rory or Luke or you know
3:03 whoever it is how did you and by the way
3:04 thank you everyone who submitted
3:05 questions I'm going to try to get to all
3:07 of them um but shout out these questions
3:10 from you guys oh that's nice yeah not
3:12 all them my
3:14 on but it's always in something like
3:16 this where it's actors I'm always
3:17 interested in what people want to hear
3:20 about you know because we've been
3:22 talking about the sort of more General
3:24 thing and I think it's a very act it's a
3:26 very actor actory show yeah no
3:28 absolutely but when you spend all all of
3:31 that time and you build up that
3:33 relationship and you're like you know
3:35 playing scenes against these people then
3:38 you take all this time off how was it to
3:39 refine that
3:42 intimacy it's you know as any of you
3:46 know who've done a play over a period of
3:48 time and then maybe been asked to do it
3:50 again or something it's you it's just in
3:53 it's in your blood and um there are very
3:56 particular dynamics that I spent so many
4:00 years in that it's a physical uh um kind
4:03 of state you know there's a certain way
4:05 I feel when I walk into my mother's
4:08 house you know it's like you know
4:10 there's a certain kind of like what okay
4:12 I'll sit down you know there's just
4:15 things that were born out of all those
4:17 years of playing that Dynamic and of
4:20 course there's variation in it but it
4:23 takes on almost it it um it takes on its
4:28 own being you know and so that all of
4:31 that was very very
4:34 um very easy did you go back and watch
4:36 any episodes from the original series
4:39 before you started this one I uh don't
4:42 learn anything from watching
4:47 myself um and uh but in I I
4:51 did have to because I wanted in in the
4:53 book to be able to compare kind of the
4:56 experience the first time which was I
4:59 was pretty brand new in town nobody knew
5:01 season to season if we were going to be
5:04 back it sort of slowly got a a group of
5:06 you know got a following we were on a
5:09 little Network um we you know back in
5:12 those days we were shooting on film a
5:15 regular day was 16 hours um so it's a
5:17 blur a little bit and 22 Episodes a year
5:21 for seven years so I kind of like fright
5:24 you know afraid for my life went back
5:28 started and um here I have a um an old
5:29 Roku box which I don't even know how to
5:32 work so you know it wasn't like the
5:35 seamless Netflix streaming experience
5:37 and um and I kind of started going
5:38 through them more to just see if it
5:40 jogged my memory for anecdotes and you
5:42 know over the years the internet has
5:45 ranked the show you know it's you don't
5:48 need my like 10 best snack foods on
5:50 Gilmore you know but but I did want to
5:53 feel like where was I at the time and
5:55 kind of what was going on and um so so I
5:57 went through it that way by the way when
5:59 Lauren's referencing her book it's
6:02 talking as fast as I can and it's out
6:05 now so and it's amazing I've read it and
6:08 and and it's um it's about your life but
6:10 also there's a lot like for Gilmore fans
6:12 there's so much fascinating stuff in
6:16 there um that I love sorry go ahead no
6:22 go the idea I I wanted the second time
6:25 to H be more present in the experience
6:28 because I could because we were back
6:30 kind of you know by popular demand and
6:32 that's such a different experience than
6:34 starting a project you have no idea if
6:38 anyone will ever care about and and I I
6:39 was aware of all the questions I've been
6:42 asked over the years and didn't have an
6:44 answer for you know what was your
6:45 favorite scene what did you take from
6:48 set and and and so this time they always
6:49 want to know what you took from
6:52 set um as if we're all a bunch of
6:54 Thieves but believe me I took stuff from
6:57 set this time so that I'd have an answer
6:59 but purely so that I'd have an answer
7:02 nothing I took a pink tin Flamingo I was
7:04 like I've loved you for years Flamingo I
7:07 I didn't but but um so I just you know I
7:09 kept a diary also we had so many
7:11 incredible guest stars and and really
7:13 some magical things that happened the
7:17 whole thing felt really touched you know
7:19 I I did um I hope this isn't like you
7:21 know betraying some secret or whatever
7:23 but when I was on set and I got to see
7:24 you riding around on your cute little
7:26 bike that has a
7:29 Braverman little like bike license plate
7:31 now was I was like my worlds are
7:33 colliding imagine what it was like for
7:36 me um I always ride bike a bike on the
7:37 on the back Lots because you know they
7:40 provide a van for you and I I just never
7:42 I like the experience of just having a
7:46 moment to kind of be by myself and uh I
7:48 had this old bike on the show that by
7:50 the end of the show was completely
7:52 rusted trashed like I had to just like
7:55 Let It Go and then our our wrap gift on
7:57 Parenthood were these beautiful bicycles
8:00 and I considered for for again
8:02 my sanity I was like do I leave the
8:04 Braverman license plate on there I get
8:07 you know and then I did and I I I I was
8:09 biking by one day and a crew guy in
8:12 another show was like same bike and I
8:14 thought wow I've been here a long
8:17 time I was like different bike the same
8:20 character you know so um I I did want to
8:22 ask you you mentioned like what it was
8:24 like to walk on to you know the set and
8:27 seeing the sets very lovingly recreated
8:29 and and some even from from pictures and
8:31 from watching the show pictures there
8:33 were no measurements no one kept it's
8:36 not like the flats of a you know of a
8:38 theater where they they're just going to
8:39 repaint it or something they were
8:41 completely gone so they all had to be
8:44 recreated from photos right and and and
8:45 the show from the show and it would be
8:47 things that like you all had been used
8:50 to you know oh I I know I can walk this
8:52 far up to the bar or up to a table and
8:53 then oh wait there's actually like three
8:56 more feet there and you know and I know
8:59 uh it was it was jarring but I jaring um
9:01 I think most of all and something that
9:04 um you know is so moving then you see
9:06 this huge portrait of uh of Richard
9:09 Gilmore of Edward Herman and and um and
9:11 I remember sitting with you on said and
9:14 kind of with that picture right there um
9:16 and I know it was it was just you know
9:19 as much as it was you were reunited with
9:23 so many people his his absence was felt
9:26 tremendously felt tremendously he gave
9:30 me so much and he he was an actor I was
9:33 aware of from a very young age just his
9:35 presence is so specific and the way he
9:39 looks and his voice and and um he just
9:43 took such he had such love for that
9:45 character for that world and he was so
9:47 great to me and he told such great
9:50 stories and he would have loved coming
9:53 back so much um you could feel him I
9:56 mean you could feel the whether it was
9:58 him or the lack of him you could you
10:01 know he was there and then you have the
10:03 giant thing with his face on it and that
10:05 was another day where you know we walked
10:08 on and it was
10:11 just uh you know just so I mean all
10:14 these days were I'm GNA have to take
10:16 like a month in a home somewhere because
10:18 it was there was just so much you know
10:21 so much emotion around coming back and
10:23 around who was there and who wasn't
10:26 there and um so we tried to honor him I
10:28 guess as best we could well you
10:30 definitely did did you shoot this in
10:34 chronological uh with this no oh no so
10:36 one of the uh difficulties of of
10:38 everything having to come together was
10:40 we had a very limited time on the back
10:43 lot and of course that's our town and
10:45 when we started Grease the live musical
10:48 was there um and so we didn't there was
10:50 nothing and you know these are these
10:54 kinds of these ghosts that the day the
10:57 show got cancelled I had to go back to
11:00 the lot to do some ADR or something and
11:02 everything was gone like it's gone that
11:05 fast um and when we got there this time
11:08 no gazebo no nothing grease you know
11:11 they had like I don't know uh Ferris
11:13 wheels and stuff you know and then
11:17 suddenly you'd come back and it was snow
11:20 on the ground and but they had to do
11:22 them all you know you can't have snow on
11:24 the ground one day and then and then
11:27 it's springtime so we we had to shoot
11:29 the back Lop first and shoot each season
11:32 in so it was really all over the map in
11:35 terms of where we were in the story and
11:37 then kind of after that was done we went
11:39 and did all the Interiors I like the nod
11:41 at the beginning of this first episode
11:43 that everyone just saw of like wow it
11:45 feels like we hav been you know it feels
11:46 like it's been a while was that the
11:49 first scene that you that you two shot
11:53 together no um part of that sequence
11:55 part of the walking walking and talking
12:00 was but um that was uh a little a little
12:02 later but it's still I was very aware
12:04 aware
12:07 of you know very aware that this is the
12:09 first time you see this character very
12:12 aware of kind of you know I haven't seen
12:15 Rory in a long time um so it was it was
12:18 a big day anyway but how as as an actor
12:19 do you kind of I mean you talked a
12:21 little bit about you know that there
12:22 have been so many years of anticipation
12:25 like press people asking about how do
12:28 you just wipe that from your head when
12:32 when you made Gilmore years ago it was
12:34 like like you said it was on like this
12:39 you know the WB it was it was no one I
12:41 think the original plan was for to be on
12:43 Thursdays even against friends were On
12:45 th yeah for like a minute yeah and it
12:48 was uh you know and and now it's like
12:50 the planet was waiting for it you know
12:51 it's just it's a different level of does
12:54 that is that going in your head only at
12:59 the grocery store um where you know uh
13:00 people would come up to me and it was
13:04 actually really helpful um and say you
13:06 say I smell snow right and I think at
13:08 that point I'm not sure if I did and and
13:10 so I came into work and I was like I
13:12 think I have to say I smell snow you
13:14 know and but there's so many things
13:15 because all these years of people
13:17 watching it and rewatching it they know
13:20 it in a way in most ways certainly
13:23 better than than I do um but we tried to
13:25 take that in and there was one morning I
13:26 I woke up and I thought I don't know if
13:28 I'm drinking enough coffee am I drinking
13:29 enough coffee you know I have to let's
13:31 put more car like so just things so that
13:34 it felt seamless and familiar enough you
13:38 know to to to us but to the audience as
13:41 well um but really the way you get rid
13:44 of all that is kind of the moment I
13:47 turned the page because this was not
13:49 only cooking for the people who were
13:52 hoping to see it again or us it was
13:54 really cooking for our writer for our
13:58 writers and she you know she had been
14:01 thinking about it and kind
14:04 of uh hoping or you know working on it
14:07 in a way for so long and and that it
14:10 didn't feel to me thin it didn't feel
14:14 like unjustified you know to to be back
14:15 it just felt
14:18 like come all the things are so sappy
14:20 but it's true it just felt like kind of
14:24 coming home and that was this was always
14:27 such a certain kind of fit for me that
14:30 of all the things I love um and it
14:31 struck me even more this time how kind
14:33 of theatrical the show is you know it
14:35 really you could lift these scripts and
14:36 do them on stage they're they're a
14:38 little heightened and they're a little
14:43 the language is is so important so that
14:46 that just like calmed it all down do you
14:48 remember the the um your audition for
14:51 Laura Li and was was there like a
14:52 specific scene that you had to read from the
14:53 the
14:56 show uh I had to read the first scene
14:59 where um the guy mistakes
15:04 me and Rory for friends and um and I
15:06 remember and back then I was I had
15:08 mainly done a lot of half hour comedy
15:12 and um the way I'd gotten most jobs was
15:14 to kind of kind of improvise a little
15:16 around it and you know especially when
15:18 you're starting out you're auditioning
15:20 for these kind of small parts that don't
15:23 have a lot of detail or Texture and so
15:26 I'd kind of throw something in you know
15:29 and and so I went in and tried to give
15:31 my thing and she was like um could you
15:33 do it as
15:37 written and I was like okay but um you
15:39 know and and that was that was the first
15:42 day I learned I was in a very different
15:45 world because that was every word is
15:49 written every um every you know nothing
15:51 and once you give into that there's
15:54 incredible freedom and once the the more
15:57 I got to know Amy the more I just heard
15:59 I could hear what she wanted you know I
16:01 could hear what she's hearing when she's
16:04 writing it and we we have a great kind
16:06 of mind meld that way and what was
16:09 interesting to me is Parenthood was a a
16:12 much more improvisational show and there
16:14 was a relief in that I was like ah
16:16 finally I could make stuff up like I
16:19 always did and then I mean it was
16:21 written but there was more freedom but
16:24 so having done that for a while I craved
16:26 this thing I craved the the structure
16:31 again and the sort of athleticism of of
16:33 having to you know hold a longer
16:35 sentence and so it was kind of a
16:38 perfect um exper you know sort of last
16:41 10 years to have and and and just and
16:43 the Cadence I mean the like you know
16:46 you're like going all in I mean I one of
16:47 the questions was someone was wondering
16:50 about getting back to that point of like
16:53 speaking that fast and and it just you
16:57 know it's it's like um if you play the
16:58 piano or something you're not going to
17:00 play piece of jazz the way you play some
17:02 musical theater you know it because the
17:05 music tells you and and so no matter how
17:08 what you put into it it's kind of there
17:11 for you to you know be creative but you
17:14 have the the map to follow and that's
17:17 what this is too there's no I don't
17:19 necessarily have to adjust again this is
17:20 something I I felt a strong connection
17:25 to the minute I read it and um and it
17:27 tells you you know you just have to
17:30 listen there's a really beautiful moment
17:32 that I that I won't spoil cuz it's not
17:34 in the first episode I'm pretty sure
17:35 it's in the fourth I mean like I said I
17:37 watched them all in a row so they're all
17:39 sort of Blended together but uh where
17:42 Laura Li calls Emily and tells a story
17:45 about uh about her father and it's it's
17:47 one of those and I think everyone who
17:50 has seen all four when you look back on
17:52 the four movies you think this is one of
17:54 the moments of them and it is so
17:57 beautifully acted and and really and I
17:59 was wondering um if you can just talk
18:01 about that I I was I was at the table
18:03 read when you read it for the first time
18:06 and it was there wasn't a dry eye at a
18:08 table table read which are like real
18:10 depressing rooms guys like this was just
18:15 like no windows water lined up um but
18:20 yeah well the so back on the old show uh
18:23 Amy and I talked about kind of one
18:26 unique thing about the show and we did
18:29 you know page count p 11 page scenes you
18:31 just don't have that in most TV shows
18:36 and and in fact rather than finding that
18:38 um annoying I always said we should just
18:41 you know push that on push whatever this
18:44 is that makes it unique wouldn't it be
18:47 great to I don't know you know do a
18:50 crazy speech or whatever but that has
18:53 nothing to do with the
18:55 um there's something that happens in
18:59 this episode where I mess up and to me
19:02 what what she gave me was the the the
19:05 perfect Arc like the perfect answer to
19:10 this Rift between Laura Li and Emily um
19:13 but the danger of course you know is
19:15 it's like it's like killing in dress
19:17 rehearsal well the New York Times wasn't
19:20 there so um you know and that's how like
19:23 the table read felt it was those rooms
19:26 were very emotional you know and um and
19:29 then you know on the day you had have to
19:34 just be uh available you know and um do
19:35 you do a lot of takes of something like
19:39 that my Hope on that was to not do very
19:42 many takes and I have so I have a very
19:45 long speech and and it's very it's sort
19:47 of stream of Consciousness sounding the
19:50 way Amy stuff sounds but that's not how
19:53 it's written and um so I did something
19:55 I'd never done before which was I just
19:59 taped it very flat like no acting I just
20:02 taped the words in on a you know voice
20:05 thing and in the car I would just play
20:06 it because I didn't want to have to call
20:10 for line I didn't want to have to do too
20:12 many takes I just wanted to really get
20:14 there you know sometimes with an
20:16 emotional thing you kind of ramp up or
20:18 you know everybody has their own way
20:21 they kind of come at it and this I just
20:24 felt really particular or like I just
20:25 felt very
20:29 um I felt that this was the the right
20:31 way to to do it without like squeezing
20:34 it dry and and and sort of torturing it
20:35 and we
20:38 did two takes
20:40 wow but that's nothing don't be to you
20:43 know it's just because I knew you know
20:45 there's there's an e the kind of a
20:47 casualness you can get sometimes in TV
20:48 because you know they can cut because
20:50 you know you can go back because
20:51 somebody can give you the line and
20:52 they'll cut it together as if you know
20:56 so I prepared this just more the way you
20:58 would apply I guess I you're being being
21:00 modest I will say you also have like a
21:03 reputation of being like you can give
21:06 you like a like a mile long page of
21:09 dialogue and you memorize it and you're
21:13 kind of I recited poetry as a child to
21:15 company and I'm sure they hate it every
21:18 minute but um yeah I I can I can pick it
21:20 up pretty fast but again that's the good
21:23 music of it you know the the the it just
21:28 makes sense and and um but uh once she
21:31 learned that early on in the show the
21:33 pages got longer and longer and longer
21:34 she was like oh we can just give it to
21:36 them at the last minute they'll be fine
21:39 so it was a mainly a blessing but
21:41 sometimes a curse I think so much is is
21:43 um talked about the way Laura I spoke
21:45 and everything and I wanted to ask you
21:47 about the physical side of her because
21:49 there it's something that um I loved
21:51 seeing in these movies and there's
21:53 there's a scene that that always stuck
21:56 out for me from the original series
21:59 where it's it was an open um to the show
22:02 and Laura Li and Rory are doing their
22:04 morning routine of you know making
22:06 coffee and putting whatever toast in the
22:08 in the toas r and there are no words
22:10 which is so rare for this show and it's
22:14 one of the finest moments um it's such a
22:17 beautifully choreographed um moment and
22:21 and it's like laurelai in in exactly you
22:24 know just in her physical self and it's
22:27 so uniquely her um and I always love
22:29 that moment and I and and I think like
22:31 that you got some moments like that in
22:33 this also like tell us about like kind
22:35 of finding that her movement and the way
22:38 she walks and I mean you know the way
22:40 I'm slumping right now because I'm
22:44 nervous is like never never she doesn't
22:46 she doesn't sit that way everything's up
22:48 you know everything's sort of like oh
22:50 look over there oh wow I know here let's
22:52 come over here it's sort it's all sort
22:56 of like a fun kind of you know thing and
23:00 um and also she finds lots of things
23:03 funny um and you know and then I got
23:06 given some f wonderful material of like
23:08 this is in this episode right I wake up
23:10 and and have to and I don't want to give
23:14 the speech uh I know they're all blurred
23:17 okay um do I fall down in this
23:21 one do I okay um spoiler alert she falls
23:24 I know anyway she gives me great stuff
23:28 to do and you know I I kind of grew up
23:31 Idol ing like you know Lucille Ball Mary
23:32 Tyler Moore and then like Katherine
23:36 heurn so somewhere in there and I and I
23:38 you know somewhere in there is just what
23:42 I what I like and and um but definitely
23:44 part of the language part of the energy
23:46 becomes physical too and is that like
23:48 something that you kind of found was
23:51 that like a direction thing is that
23:55 the you know it's it's I think probably
23:58 why I got the part um just because it
24:00 was kind of what she saw you know what
24:05 she envisioned um I don't know I think I
24:06 think again I go back to the language
24:09 the language sort of dictated who this
24:13 person was and um and again it's very
24:14 theatrical there's some scenes in this
24:17 you'll see that are literally theatrical
24:18 there's you know that and I kept
24:20 thinking this show is like a musical
24:22 theater people could break into song and
24:25 they do and um so you know you just
24:28 bring a different kind of physicality to that
24:28 that
24:32 uh Jennifer uh asked a a real spoilery
24:35 question so uh about the four final
24:37 words without which are you know these
24:40 kind of legendary uh Amy sort of uh
24:41 don't worry we're not saying not saying
24:44 anything um had this idea for What the
24:46 how this the series would end she wasn't
24:49 on season s so this was she was going to
24:51 get her chance to do it and she told you
24:54 uh what they were without spoiling
24:56 anything can you give us
24:59 um maybe like three adjectives of how
25:04 Laura life felt after hearing them um
25:05 I'm not even going to do that I think
25:09 because I think it's a bad idea in case
25:11 um there's the internet is already
25:14 ruined all lots of things so um I I
25:16 won't necessarily talk about that but I
25:19 but I do I didn't know there were final
25:21 four words I didn't know that was the
25:24 thing um I didn't know what they were
25:27 and we just somehow never talked about
25:31 it and when she told me I
25:35 was I was surprised I guess and then
25:38 after a minute it made complete sense so
25:41 that was my reaction when when Amy told
25:44 me but to tell you what lur I thought is
25:46 a different a different story but how
25:49 many did you do multiple takes of
25:52 Laura's re reaction well I asked for she
25:55 Amy had a very specific idea of what she
25:58 wanted um and you know there something
26:01 wonderful to have the writer directing
26:03 because there's no question they know
26:06 what they want and um I asked to give
26:09 her some variations I'm sure she didn't
26:11 use them because she knew what she
26:12 wanted but just in Casa you know I
26:14 thought maybe You' get there and I don't
26:16 know you'll feel like but the whole
26:17 thing this time was much more
26:19 collaborative you know we've been
26:21 friends now for a long time when I first
26:23 started it was my first big job and it
26:25 was really fun to be able to to say
26:27 things like that once in a while you
26:28 know like oh maybe I don't let's try
26:31 this you know and and and to have that
26:34 kind of reception I'm getting the sense
26:35 you haven't watched these yet have you
26:40 no no will you not for a long time um
26:42 I'm so I'm honestly so proud of it it
26:44 was such an incredible experience that's
26:48 all I need you know and again I don't I
26:50 I think they're wonderful actors who
26:53 learn a lot by viewing themselves I've
26:56 just learned I'm not one of them and um
26:58 so I you need some time like when I went
27:00 back and watched the old episodes it's
27:03 long enough ago that I could be a little
27:05 bit objective but the experience was so
27:07 incredible it's for now it's like more
27:09 than I could have hoped for did it give
27:12 you this this like desire to like oh I
27:13 need to play this character again like I
27:16 want to go back for more episodes or
27:21 movies um there's it gave me um it was incredibly
27:22 incredibly
27:26 gratifying at this stage and I've had
27:28 such nice opportunities
27:30 I feel fairly sure I'm not I don't want
27:33 to poison any possibilities I guess but
27:35 I feel fairly sure I'll never have this
27:38 good a match again in terms of what I
27:41 love to do what this language is and and
27:44 just the aspect of putting something
27:46 kind of positive and hopeful out there
27:48 in the world I wasn't aware of that I
27:50 wouldn't have thought of that as a young
27:53 actor but now I'm it's something I'm
27:56 proud of and and kind of could wouldn't
28:00 want to do any other kind of thing MH
28:02 so yeah I mean I could do it every day
28:04 for the end of time but then you have to
28:06 consider the piece and is that good for
28:09 the piece and do you start to somebody
28:11 said to me in an interview is it gonna
28:12 be like Christmas on Walton [Music]
28:14 [Music]
28:16 Mountain younger people you don't know
28:17 what that
28:20 means The Waltons was a beloved TV show
28:22 and they'd come back and do you know
28:25 movies perhaps I guess this journalist's
28:27 opinion was perhaps beyond the point
28:29 where anybody was really I disagree
28:31 completely they were amazing but what I
28:33 love about this so I think we're not
28:35 there yet in terms of asking those
28:37 questions really um
28:41 but the this model of 90minut episodes
28:44 she wanted to do because of Sherlock and
28:46 down Abbey in those British shows that
28:48 they do two they do four they do a
28:50 Christmas special on Sherlock they went
28:53 back in time you know it's could be
28:54 there's no kind of set and on something
28:57 like Netflix there's no um you know she
28:59 got to make up the format of what you
29:03 wanted to do so it's possible but I I I
29:05 yeah I don't know when you have that
29:06 kind of role that you feel like you
29:09 connect with so strongly I mean here you
29:11 are you're you're you're you've written
29:14 a couple books um you You' wrote this uh
29:16 uh talking as fast as I can someday
29:17 someday maybe it's amazing if you
29:20 haven't read Lauren's book and and
29:22 you're your uh you optioned another
29:24 you're doing another TV thing um from
29:26 the other side of it do you have that I
29:29 mean as an actor or do you feel like oh
29:31 I need to find my next role like I'm no
29:32 you don't have no I feel extremely
29:37 fulfilled by doing this I and and I feel
29:39 like I accidentally went to writing
29:45 School between the two shows um and have
29:46 been able
29:49 to do some things on my own you know
29:50 it's an incredible thing to be part of a
29:54 team an ensemble of an acting company
29:57 and then it's kind of been this really
30:00 interesting Revelation to just be in an
30:05 office by myself with a computer and um
30:08 so I don't again it was so I feel like I
30:10 just had the greatest meal what am I
30:11 going to do now like go to McDonald's
30:15 you know like I I just you know I I
30:17 don't there's nothing I crave which is a
30:19 strange place to be because the way I
30:22 kind of feel I got anywhere was i' get
30:24 to one little place and then I'd picture
30:27 okay what's like the next how can I get
30:29 to the next you know okay I can get one
30:31 line maybe I can get five lines maybe I
30:35 could get a you know very gradual um
30:38 and I don't I don't have I don't have a
30:41 vision for what comes next for all the
30:44 actors in here um who haven't given up I
30:46 I feel like I've read over the course of
30:48 you know years like in saying that you
30:52 were at one point um a mascot yes you um
30:56 you were like SAT prep with a head yeah
30:58 you did like SAT prep you were way like
31:01 kind of like all was there a moment
31:03 where you almost gave up and then you
31:05 were like no I'm going to stick it out
31:07 I'm going to get this job a thousand a
31:11 thousand I mean every day you know um
31:13 there was a very long period of time
31:17 when I didn't work at all um I went
31:22 to I I got into a graduate program um
31:26 that was a nice sign and but there been
31:28 a lot of struggle before that then when
31:31 I got out I got a agent with a small
31:34 agency that was a nice sign but then I
31:37 didn't work for a really long time and I
31:39 kept thinking she's going to drop me you
31:42 know I'm not making any money
31:45 and I thought of giving up all I didn't
31:46 have any money you know it's all the
31:49 stuff we've all gone through and and
31:53 really it I started to get a little
31:57 indication um pretty for actors you know pretty
31:58 pretty
32:04 Lish and um and even then you know so I
32:06 was on a sitcom I I was on another one
32:09 they kept getting cancelled you know
32:11 every time you raise the bar there's a
32:15 new one to to kind of get to and I
32:16 thought I'm just going to be the person
32:19 and in fact I remember when I got this
32:21 pilot there was an article in like Time
32:24 magazine or Newsweek or something and I
32:27 and I just flipped it open and I saw my
32:29 face and I I was like oh I'm in this
32:32 magazine and it was it was an article
32:35 that was something like ever wonder why
32:37 TV is the same old boring thing every
32:41 year it's I know it's because these same
32:43 actors keep it was like it was like a
32:46 little thing about like show killers and
32:49 I know I know which which is one of you
32:51 know one reason number five million
32:53 thousand why I don't read anything ever
32:56 ever ever um because the good stuff will
32:58 find its way to you the bad stuff you
33:00 just don't need to see and that's you
33:04 know harder in today's world but um so
33:06 that was the year I got that pilot and
33:09 of Gilmore Girls and I thought it'll and
33:11 then and I write about this in the book
33:12 but then we went to upfronts and one of
33:15 the executives said o your time slot and
33:17 I was like why what's the time slot they
33:19 said 8:00 on
33:21 Thursdays which against against friends
33:23 and all these huge shows of the time we
33:25 were almost canceled you just never know
33:28 you know I I do believe
33:30 I do believe there should be enough
33:32 signs that you don't feel like you're in
33:34 a bad relationship with acting you know
33:36 like there should be enough where you
33:39 feel like the guy is calling you back
33:41 literally um because otherwise it you
33:44 start it really can take a toll and and
33:47 there are ways to be creative that you
33:49 know there's certain things that get
33:52 validated in today's world I don't know
33:55 are they really the the best parts of us
33:58 I'm I'm not sure but I I do believe cuz
34:02 I I have some I saw friends stay longer
34:04 than it was making them happy you know
34:06 so it's just stay as long as it's making
34:08 you happy another interesting uh thing
34:10 that I that I thought would be helpful
34:12 to to actors also was someone told you
34:15 um I read once that someone said don't
34:17 take the role of Laura Li because you
34:18 don't want to play a mom everybody said
34:20 don't take the role of laurelai every
34:23 peer of mine um probably agents at the
34:26 time there was a because IMDb didn't
34:29 really exist yet so that your age was
34:31 not on anything and you could lie about
34:33 it in fact Bruce fretz I lied to you
34:36 about my age Bruce is here who's an
34:38 entertainment uh writer is that the
34:41 right way to say it okay um who's a
34:43 who's a very intelligent TV writer who I
34:46 also went to 7th grade with who um used
34:49 to work for a TV Guide okay and you
34:51 tried to get my age out of me or you
34:52 tried to get me to say it meanwhile you
34:54 knew because we're in seventh grade
34:56 together and I said like can you just
34:59 please say 30ish you know so that was a
35:01 big thing at the time and everybody said
35:04 you're going to play a mom of a teenager
35:07 that's the end you'll never you know you
35:10 you can't be young and whatever ever
35:13 again and I just never I never that it
35:15 didn't occur to me like it I just
35:17 connected to it and I thought this is
35:20 fantastic and I didn't have a kind of
35:22 like Vision about you know what this was
35:24 going to do or not and then the flip
35:26 side of that was there a piece of advice
35:28 I guess that you got that actually you
35:30 listen to and you were like yeah that's
35:32 great advice I'm going to pass that
35:35 along again so much
35:38 um you know because on the other side of that
35:39 that
35:43 is we we we have our yeses and we have
35:46 our Nos and I think at times I would
35:49 take a job out of complete Panic not
35:51 because it was right you know some of
35:54 those failed sitcoms I could have told
35:55 you they were probably going to fail but
35:57 I was like that somebody wants me and a
35:59 job that pays money like I can't believe
36:02 it and I think you that's I can't
36:05 dictate what that is for anyone but I
36:08 didn't sometimes maybe I could have said
36:11 no a little bit more and and believed in
36:15 myself but you know on the other hand on
36:17 the other hand it's tough out there
36:19 so um I do want to get to some questions
36:21 because you all wrote Such amazing uh
36:25 thoughtful thoughtful questions um uh
36:27 Ashley asked was it hard not to overlap
36:29 who you were in Gilmore with who you
36:30 were in
36:35 Parenthood well yes I think because to
36:39 me when I read Parenthood again and this
36:43 right or wrong it bore no resemblance to
36:45 Laura lie to me in the tone of the show
36:48 and in the language and that was another
36:49 one where people were like are you going
36:52 to play a single mom again you know and
36:54 I and I kind of thinking of that Laura
36:55 experience I was like that doesn't
36:59 matter it's but in way and I love that
37:03 show love it and had an amazing time but
37:06 all these characters we play are to some
37:08 degree and I mean stock characters in
37:09 the best sense you're going to have your
37:11 leading lady you're going to have your
37:13 clown you're going to have your you know
37:14 and and the single mom is going to be
37:16 dealing with dating and maybe she's
37:18 going to date her daughter's teacher I
37:20 did that twice and maybe she's gonna you
37:23 know Medina some some of the and and
37:25 Jason Ritter too you know but some of
37:27 the Dynamics and the stories are just
37:31 going to be the same and I felt
37:32 frustrated at the beginning because I
37:35 was so used to playing this woman who no
37:40 matter what else was never a victim was
37:43 NE you know NE didn't she she was a
37:45 business owner she envisioned herself
37:47 you know as a real kind of she had a lot
37:49 of confidence even even though she was
37:52 vulnerable and and Sarah would frustrate
37:55 me and so I I think I started to bring
37:59 some trying to lighten it up or you know
38:03 I I um so I mean and obviously you're
38:04 using yourself it always it always
38:06 overlaps to some degree but that's that
38:09 was a little bit of that process Marley
38:11 wanted to know what characteristics do
38:14 you and lauraa Gilmore
38:19 share um I just I am very verbal I was
38:22 attracted to poetry as a child I was a
38:26 uh voracious reader and still am um even
38:28 though that's more sort of Rory's thing
38:29 you know they try to give me like a
38:31 magazine on set sometimes and I was like
38:33 why can't I read books like Rory can you
38:38 know and um so uh but generally hopeful
38:42 and um positive I think and I I love
38:44 this question from Taylor winstein said
38:46 what was your biggest pinch me this
38:48 can't be real moment you had while
38:54 show well
38:56 well
38:58 uh I I don't want to tell a story I've
39:00 told before but I this this was the
39:04 biggest one it was on the first day um I
39:06 couldn't figure out what to wear because
39:08 first days are always like you're so
39:10 tense and and it wasn't we weren't
39:12 shooting the first scene but it was
39:16 still my first day and you know I always
39:17 want her wardrobe to be fun and
39:19 interesting and exciting and I have
39:21 great people who help me do that but I
39:22 just was fussing and I didn't like the
39:26 outfit and you know and and um they
39:27 brought in like a whole rack of stuff
39:29 and was trying things and pulling things
39:31 off the thing and then finally the they
39:34 said you know we're ready so I was like
39:36 okay fine I'll just wear this blue
39:38 blouse and and I put it on it was kind
39:41 of baggy and so my um onset dresser just
39:43 kind of you know she pinned it in the
39:44 back and you're like running I got on my
39:47 bicycle and like going to set and and I
39:48 got there and there was something like
39:51 kind of bugging me in the back and I was
39:53 like hey Sasha is there like a pin here
39:55 or something and she came and she said
39:56 oh we didn't take the tag out so she
40:00 pulled the tag out and the whole day
40:02 went by you know long long day and at
40:03 the end of the day this's a woman I've
40:05 been working with the whole time on the
40:08 show and she knocks on the door and she
40:10 said I I have something I want to show
40:12 you I I kind of can't believe it and I
40:14 was like what and she hands me this
40:17 thing and it was the tag from the shirt
40:19 which is a Diane von fenberg shirt why
40:22 why am I plugging Diane V fenberg and
40:24 the shirt has a name and the shirt is
40:33 two now it's one letter spelled
40:37 differently but it's I was I I was just
40:40 like what are the odds and it's the
40:44 laurelai too too I couldn't believe it
40:47 and I I put it up you know and the whole
40:49 thing already felt kind of like magical
40:52 and surreal and I put it up on the wall
40:54 above the like sink in my dressing room
40:57 because to me it was it was so many
41:00 things but it was just a reminder like
41:03 Val you know this is a big cool thing to
41:07 get to do and and uh you know let it be
41:09 you know sometimes you just look into
41:11 some it's like a relationship like
41:13 sometimes you just wow it's all going
41:14 great I don't know you know and and that
41:18 was a big sign how was it walking away this
41:19 this
41:23 time oh it's always just a misery I mean
41:25 it's always the day is longer than they
41:27 thought it was going to be and the party
41:29 started but you can't get there and you
41:31 know i' I'd been so emotional the whole
41:35 time that I was kind of like all right
41:38 well I don't have any tears left I uh
41:40 you know to pass the hush puppies I you
41:42 know you just kind of go numb it's just
41:47 like an odd um it's hard to say goodbye
41:49 and I think as performers we we say
41:51 hello and goodbye all the time and you
41:54 make these strong connections and then
41:56 and then they're gone you know and I
41:57 mean this is a group of people I will
41:59 probably be joined with to some way in
42:02 some ways for a long time but um yeah it
42:04 was not
42:07 eventful yeah I um there was uh Shelly
42:12 asked about you and Alexis uh developing
42:15 uh chemistry both initially and and
42:16 finding it now and we talked about that
42:18 a little now and just another plug for
42:19 your book I thought it was really
42:21 interesting in the in in your book when
42:23 you talk about that you were both cast
42:25 like they didn't they wasn't like oh let
42:28 me test Lauren with like five young you
42:30 know Young no time and here's one of the
42:32 things about saying no although I was
42:34 helped in saying no I was attached to
42:37 another show and they wouldn't I I got
42:40 sent the script um but they wouldn't see
42:42 me on it because I was attached to
42:45 another show and they kept auditioning
42:46 they kept auditioning they kept
42:49 auditioning and then finally they they
42:51 decided to bring me in anyway and then I
42:53 didn't want to come in because I was
42:54 like why why am I going to go audition
42:57 for a job I can't even do and the other
42:59 show was maybe going to get cancelled
43:03 but they weren't sure and I was in here
43:05 I forget where I am I was in New York
43:07 and doing some I don't know just the
43:09 whole the way it worked out was it
43:12 wasn't until a couple of days or a week
43:13 or something before they needed to start
43:15 shooting which happened to also be my
43:19 birthday um that they were like we don't
43:21 care we'll fly her in just come you know
43:23 they didn't have anybody they they
43:26 hadn't found the you know and so that's
43:29 boy if you can ever just walk in at the
43:32 end and close be that pitcher who closes
43:34 like because you know they'd already
43:35 seen all the people they wanted to see
43:36 because there's a real thing they do
43:39 with process here you know if you like
43:40 go in first sometimes they're like
43:42 you're the most amazing person we've
43:43 ever seen however we're going to need to
43:47 see 37 other people just to be sure you
43:49 know and you can't time that either you
43:52 know but but it just happen to kind of
43:54 um work that way and Alexis was already
43:56 in Toronto we shot the pilot in Toronto
43:57 she was already there so they couldn't
44:00 read us together um so we met in Toronto
44:02 like the night before we played mother
44:06 and daughter for 75 years I know and did
44:08 did Amy like sit the two of you down
44:09 about like all right get to know each
44:11 other real
44:15 fast no I mean Alexis was 18 or 19 then
44:17 it she'd never had a speaking role in
44:20 anything she'd done a little tiny bit of
44:24 of modeling and you know she was more
44:26 discovered in a way and she always tells
44:27 the story when she came came in she was
44:30 sick you know she's very naturally sh
44:32 quiet or shy or person but she was sick
44:35 that day and she had to kind of project
44:39 a little bit more and um you know that
44:43 was sort of a a fluke um but you know we
44:47 just we con so there was no like what's
44:49 your craft and how are we going to do
44:50 this you know there was none of that
44:52 kind of thing I I could just see she was
44:55 like I don't know what this is you know
44:57 and especially can you imagine as your first
44:58 first
45:01 job and walking and talking and things
45:03 so you know and I've I've said this
45:05 before but I would just clamp us
45:08 together because if we didn't you know
45:09 if we didn't land on our Mark we're
45:12 going to do it seven more times and and
45:14 also she was lovely and we always
45:15 connected and we're really kind of Yin
45:18 and Yang you know um personality wise
45:21 but I think quite similar in in who we
45:23 are sort of inside and and so I just
45:27 clamped her to me and and um you know
45:30 and here we are and here we are well
45:32 Lauren thank you so much um this was
45:33 such a
45:36 pleasure I like all of you need if this
45:39 is like the first one you've seen like I
45:40 I have your plans for the rest of the
45:41 night like go home and watch the other
45:44 three because it's uh it's wonderful
45:45 these movies and and everything you've
45:47 done thank you so much thank you thank
