‘Gilmore Girls’: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel Actually Ate All of the Food — but Didn’t Drink All of the Coffee
One of the most beloved television sitcoms of all time (and one that has inspired some serious fan devotion) is Gilmore Girls. The show has become a cultural touchstone and remains very popular in reruns.
The show focuses on the loving relationship between a mother and daughter, and all the trials and tribulations that they encounter. For fans, their bond was what kept the show so relatable — and their personality quirks, like their addiction to coffee and fast food, helped to endear the characters to several generations of fans.
Still, Gilmore Girls viewers today might be surprised to learn that the actresses behind the characters didn’t actually share their characters’ fondness for caffeinated beverages.
When did ‘Gilmore Girls’ premiere on television?
Gilmore Girls debuted on television in 2000, starring Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore and Alexis Bledel as her daughter, Rory Gilmore. The show also featured stars such as Melissa McCarthy, Milo Ventimiglia, Scott Patterson, and Jared Padalecki.
Lorelai and Rory live in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, and although their lives are far from perfect, their love for each other and their relationships with their friends keep them going through difficult times.
Critics, as well as fans, immediately praised the show and the way the characters interacted with each other. The dialogue was witty, moving, and always seemed appropriate for each character.
For these reasons and more, Gilmore Girls shot to the top of the rating charts, where it remained for seven years. Sadly, the show ended in 2007, but it did return in 2016 for a series revival on Netflix. For fans, the characters and situations created in Gilmore Girls will remain evergreen.
Alexis Bledel actually hated coffee
Both Lorelai and Rory Gilmore had many things in common, including their love of coffee. Both characters were seen frequently with coffee, whether indulging in a cup at home or bringing their travel mugs on the go.
The mother-daughter duo also loved coffee shops and often frequented the local Stars Hollow coffee joint. Many fans might have assumed that Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel were coffee aficionados as well — however, this was definitely not the case with Alexis Bledel.
In fact, according to reports, Bledel couldn’t stand coffee, and in any scene requiring that she drink coffee, her cup was always full of soda instead. Soda looked similar enough to coffee that viewers didn’t question the way it looked in a coffee cup and allowed Bledel to get away with indulging her love for the caffeinated soft drink.
Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel actually ate junk food
Gilmore Girls featured many scenes where Lorelai and Rory were chowing down on delicious-looking junk food, from pizza to Chinese takeout. The actresses themselves often went for it, and happily ate the food required in any of those scenes. In fact, Alexis Bledel later admitted that it always bothered her when actors don’t eat the food in their scenes.
Still, Bledel and Graham avoided pigging out on a regular basis by simply asking for spit buckets after filming several takes. This way, they were able to capture the realism required for the scene without actually eating slice after slice of greasy pizza.
No doubt this trick also helped them to stick with their real-life healthy eating habits, as well. Regardless of what tricks they used, the actresses behind Gilmore Girls managed to convey enough realism to convince viewers and to continue earning fans year after year, long after the show went off the air.