I Was an Extra on ‘Gilmore Girls’
Where the Gilmore Girls lead, we will follow! It’s been nine long years since super mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore drank all the coffee in Stars Hollow, gorged on junk food and Chinese takeout, fell in and out of love, and dropped every pop culture reference imaginable in their rapid-fire banter. Now, the Gilmores are back to drink even more coffee, talk even faster, and charm us more than ever in Netflix’s continuation of the series, which premieres Nov. 25.
In four 90-minute episodes, titled “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer,” and “Fall,” Lorelai (Lauren Graham), Rory (Alexis Bledel), and grandmother Emily (Kelly Bishop) all face big changes in their lives. To get ready for the revival, we’re highlighting all the things we love about the show with our official Return to Stars Hollow coverage, from the wacky supporting characters to the insanely clever dialogue to the girls’ complicated love lives. Check back here every day until Nov. 25 to obsess with us over all things Gilmore.
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The odds are you didn’t notice me on Gilmore Girls — and that’s exactly what was supposed to happen.
I’m not a professional actor. I didn’t win a contest to be on camera. I was just working as an extra on TV and movie sets trying to save some money before I went back to school in 2004.
I worked on Gilmore Girls for two days at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif. I was working as background and was asked to wear normal clothes but nothing red or patterned. We were supposed to blend in. Also, we weren’t allowed to take photos on set.
Security directed the extras where to go. After I checked in, I was corralled with the other extras into one of the unassuming homes on set. Looking at it, I thought there would be a comfortable living room to lounge in, but as I got closer, I realized it was just a facade. There was nothing inside the house except metal folding chairs for us to sit on.
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But on the outside, Stars Hollow really looked like a storybook town in New England. I remember thinking when I walked around the set how neat and tidy everything was. The streets had no potholes or trash. The bushes and trees were perfectly trimmed. And all the homes had manicured lawns. But what was supposed to be the main square with the gazebo was probably half the size of what I expected.
As extras, you are used in multiple scenes to make it look as though there are more people in the background. There were probably about 20 to 30 extras that day. Sounds like a lot, but if you consider that we were to play the town’s population, it’s not that many. Sometimes I was asked to walk back and forth in the background as a scene was being shot. And other times, I was on camera just for a split second, walking across the street.
Extra work isn’t glamorous. Most of the time you’re waiting around for the next scene and socializing with others on set. Also, the actors didn’t hang out on the set unless it was time for their scene. But as a fan, I was excited just to be working on one of my all-time favorite shows.
Socializing and my knowledge of Gilmore Girls did pay off when someone needed an extra for a scene in Doose’s Market. The background actors I had been talking to said I was a big fan and volunteered me.
This was my moment.
I was tossed a green apron on the spot and rushed into Doose’s Market. I didn’t have a chance to be nervous because it all happened so quickly.
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The cameras and lights were already set up, and the director told me that for the scene I should only point and not speak when Lorelai (Lauren Graham) asks me a question. Then he introduced Lauren to me, and I just smiled because all I could think was, “It’s Lorelai!” She said hi and shook my hand before she went to stand on her mark. It was all very professional.
It took only a few takes and we were done. As soon as the director said, “Cut!” on the last take, everyone moved on to the next scene, and I was escorted back by one of the production assistants.
After all these years, when I tell people I was an extra on Gilmore Girls, I point them to Season 5, Episode 2, as proof that it really happened. With the return of GG on Netflix, you know I’ll be watching to see what happens with Lorelai, Rory, and the rest of the Stars Hollow characters (including the background actors).
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is available to stream on Netflix beginning Nov. 25.
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