‘Gilmore Girls’ Cast Expected Pennilyn Lott to Be in More Episodes, Linda Gehringer Says
You only need to be on one episode of Gilmore Girls to make a lasting impression. Linda Gehringer knows that because she played Pennilyn Lott. Pennilyn was Richard Gilmore (Edward Hermann)’s fiance before Emily (Kelly Bishop). Lorelai calls Pennilyn her “almost mommy.” Given that connection, many Gilmore Girls cast members expected to see Pennilyn return.
Gehringer was a guest on Scott Patterson’s I Am All In podcast on Dec. 8 to discuss her single moment of being in the Gilmore Girls cast. Patterson asked if it was ever suggested Pennilyn return, and Gehringer said her co-stars certainly expected her to.
The ‘Gilmore Girls’ cast didn’t think Pennilyn Lott was a one and done character
Richard may have broken off his engagement to Pennilyn, but he didn’t cut her out of his life. Pennilyn and Richard met for an annual lunch, although that did not continue after Gehringer’s episode. The Gilmore Girls cast braced themselves for more Pennilyn.
“I would say that most of the actresses in that room that day, that everybody thought that she’d be on the show for a while,” Gehringer said on I Am All In. “That she was going to invade the space. So I just took the information that I had. I knew that she’d been talked about. She’d been a threat in some way.”
Edward Hermann thought the Pennilynn Lott episode would go darker
Gehringer said that even Hermann expected Richard to have an affair with Pennilyn. Perhaps that’s where creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was going, but decided not to. As a one time Gilmore Girls cast member, Gehringer can only speculate. Patterson said even having the emotional affair was a betrayal of Emily.
“That’s not good,” Gehringer said. “No, you’re right. Something you don’t want to let go of. And maybe that’s why in the end they decided to actually not have anything happen. Because I think even Ed Hermann thought something would happen. When he talked to me that day, I think he had that in his mind that something would actually happen but they may have just decided it was too icky. That the lunches were one thing but actual cheating was another, more than emotional cheating as you call it.”
Had Gilmore Girls gone in that direction, an affair would’ve torn Emily and Richard apart. Perhaps not permanently. Richard could have earned forgiveness but it would have been a long road, a very different story for sure.
Pennilyn will forever be part of the ‘Gilmore Girls’ cast
Even though Gehringer never returned to Stars Hollow, she still hears from Gilmore Girls fans to this day. Gehringer shared with Patterson how acting students recognized her as Pennilyn Lott. Young girls in Gehringer’s life recognize her impact, too.
“My goddaughter Emma said., ‘Linda, you are an iconic character on this show,’” Gehringer said. “So I don’t really know.”
