‘Gilmore Girls’ Star Kelly Bishop Reveals the Real Reason She Connected to Emily Gilmore
Twenty-five years ago, audiences were first introduced to the familial dynamic of a fast-talking, caffeine-addicted single mother, her precocious, genius progeny, and her formidable, feisty mother from the world of privilege she had left behind.
The “Girls” of Gilmore Girls — Lorelai (Lauren Graham), Rory (Alexis Bledel), and Emily (Kelly Bishop) — engaged in rapid-fire exchanges, pop culture references, and expressions of underlying love that left a lasting impression. Now, nearly three decades later, the series is finding fresh audiences on streaming while longtime fans return to binge it again and again, keeping its legacy alive as Gilmore Girls celebrates a milestone.
Series matriarch and mouthpiece Kelly Bishop recently revealed that the reason she meshed so well with Emily Gilmore was that she felt a deep connection with the character. “Because I really had lived it,” said the actress.
WB/Ron Batzdorff/Warner Bros./Everett Collection
In an interview with iPaper, the actress explained that her grandmother, Louise, was a teenage mother who also had a difficult time raising her child. “My grandmother was Emily, my mother was Lorelai, and I was Rory. I could see the whole pattern before my eyes of something that I had lived. My grandmother was such a tough woman. I thought she was awfully hard on my mother, and I could never figure out why she wouldn’t be a little nicer to her.”
In its original run, Gilmore Girls was often overlooked by awards bodies and critics who dismissed it as lightweight teen fare, despite its razor-sharp dialogue, heartfelt storytelling, and the dynamic performances of its cast. Yet over time, the series earned a devoted following thanks to reruns and streaming services.
“I always thought that it was not being appreciated,” said Bishop. “And frankly, Warner Bros. might get mad at me, but I kind of felt that they didn’t quite understand what they had.”
“The WB’s viewership was young people, and this was about a teenage girl and her mom, and I think they probably thought ‘that’s another teenage show’. I kept thinking, ‘This is such a shame, because it’s such a smart show. It’s funny, it’s fast, it’s topical,’ but not too topical, as it turns out, 25 years later, it’s really not aged horribly at all.”
Bishop believes the longevity of the series lies in its quality, both as a smart show and as a comfort watch.
“Besides the fact I keep singing the praises of its intelligence and its humour and its speed, it’s a comforting show,” said Bishop. “With all of those odd characters, there’s a sweetness to it. It’s not squishy sweet, it’s just goodness.”
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