‘Gilmore Girls’ Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Insisted on Auditioning More Actors for Dean Despite Jared Padalecki Impressing the Casting Department

Jared Padalecki was just 17 years old when he was cast in the role of Dean Forrester in Gilmore Girls. Padalecki wasn’t the first actor to be cast in the role, and he didn’t even know he had landed the part when he returned home to Texas after a trip to California to audition for roles. That call would come later after casting agents auditioned even more actors. It’s not that the casting department didn’t love Padalecki for the part. In fact, they were sold after his first audition. The show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, insisted on auditioning more actors because Padalecki’s casting would have been too easy. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino insisted on auditioning more actors, despite being impressed by Padalecki 

Amy Sherman-Palladino was called to see Jared Padalecki after the casting directors loved his impromptu audition. Casting director, Jill Anthony, told Vanity Fair that they hadn’t even planned to audition actors for the role of Dean yet when they received a call from an agent. Padalecki’s agent was adamant that they see the then-teenager before he headed back to Texas. The casting department acquiesced, and they liked what they saw. 

Anthony told the publication they were ready to offer Padalecki the role, but Sherman-Palladino insisted they audition even more actors. She liked Padalecki for the part, but instructed Anthony to read more guys because it was “too easy.” More actors came in and read for the role, but Padalecki was still the top contender. He was offered the job, which he took. 

Jared Padalecki was the third actor cast in the role of Dean Forrester 

While the Gilmore Girls casting team knew Jared Padalecki was “the guy” when he read for the role of Dean, he actually wasn’t the first actor to land the job. Two other actors had auditioned for and landed the role before Padalecki’s agent even called to get Padalecki an audition. 

An early version of the pilot was shot with an actor named Nathan Wetherington as Dean Forrester. The test pilot went over fine, but something about Wetherington’s portrayal of Dean just didn’t seem to work. Wetherington was axed, and the search for a new Dean began. 

Rumor has it that a second actor was also hired but quickly fired when he didn’t fit the look and vibe the show was going for. No one has ever discussed who the other actor was. As they say, the third time’s a charm. 

Padalecki happened to have the look and vibe the team was going for. The part became his breakout role, and while Padalecki left the series before the show’s final two seasons, he still is forever tied to the Gilmore Girls universe. Padalecki even returned, albeit briefly, for the Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. There is no word on if he would return for a second revival if it ever happens.