A Big Drawback of Filming ‘Gilmore Girls’ in California Was the Weather
Melissa McCarthy spent seven seasons playing Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls. Much of her screentime was spent in the kitchen of the Independence Inn and then the Dragonfly Inn. Still, the famed actor remembers how much the weather impacted filming. In a recent interview, McCarthy revealed that the California weather was a massive problem while filming Gilmore Girls. It even once led to an actor passing out.
Melissa McCarthy recalls the weather making the filming of ‘Gilmore Girls’ uncomfortable
Melissa McCarthy recently sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly and was happy to chat a bit about Gilmore Girls. Since filming the show, McCarthy has moved on to other TV shows and movies, but the Bridesmaid star still remembers what it was like trying to film a show based in Connecticut in California.
McCarthy told the publication that the weather often made it uncomfortable on set. The cast often wore heavy coats to replicate Connecticut’s iconic fall and winter weather. Stars Hollow might have had a perpetual chill in the air, but the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, where the cast filmed the show, assuredly did not. Even if it was supposed to be 45 degrees in Stars Hollow, it was often over 100 degrees in Burbank. She even remembers someone passing out while shooting the show’s promotional poster.
According to McCarthy, while shooting promotional shots for season 1 of Gilmore Girls, the cast was all dressed in winter coats. They tried to look cold, despite being very warm. It was so hot in Burbank that day that one of the cast members passed out. McCarthy didn’t reveal who the cast member was, though.
Multiple promotional photos were released during season 1 of Gilmore Girls, but few featured the cast in heavy coats. Most fans likely recall a picture of the Gilmores with key Stars Hollow townspeople gathered around the Stars Hollow Gazebo. The image is among the most popular from season one. None of them are wearing coats in the photo, so it’s unlikely to be the picture McCarthy is referring to. A second image, featuring the same key cast members bundled up in jackets standing in front of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore’s house, was also used, albeit more sparingly. The photo likely was produced during the photoshoot McCarthy referenced to Entertainment Weekly.
What is the average temperature in Burbank, California?
While the average temperature in Burbank, California, where the series was filmed, is not over 100 degrees, it’s still pretty warm most of the time. Too warm, most days, to be bundled up in a peacoat while trying to recreate winter, at least.
According to Time and Date, Burbank’s coldest month is December, but residents still enjoy highs around 65 degrees most days. The city’s warmest month is August. High temperatures most days soar into the 80s and 90s. Temperatures are known to even catapult past 100 on occasion. On July 23, 2006, Burbank recorded a temperature of 111 degrees. It was the hottest day on record until 2018 when a temperature of 114 was recorded. In 2020, the city recorded its hottest day, with temperatures nearing 118 degrees, according to My Burbank.
