‘Gilmore Girls’: Why 1 Actor Thought They’d ‘Never Work Again’ After a Scene in Season 4
Gilmore Girls is one of the few TV shows that still resonates with fans years later. The series premiered in 2000 and has only grown in popularity since then.
It’s hard to believe any Gilmore Girls actor would think they’d never work again but that’s how Wayne Wilcox (Marty) felt.
Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino discovered Wayne Wilcox
Wilcox’s journey to Gilmore Girls started at a restaurant in New York City. He served breakfast to Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, and her husband, writer-producer-director Dan Palladino.
Not long after Wilcox auditioned for the role of Marty. To this day he says it’s the coolest thing to ever happen to him.
“That really is a fairytale way to get a job for an actor,” he told Today during an interview celebrating 20 years of Gilmore Girls.
Wayne Wilcox thought playing ‘naked guy’ would end his career
Wilcox made his first appearance as Marty in Gilmore Girls Season 4 Episode 3: “The Hobbit, the Sofa, and Digger Stiles.” After a party in her dorm, Rory found Marty naked and fast asleep in the hallway. And thus the character’s “naked guy” nickname was born.
It just so happened to be Wilcox’s first scene on his first day of filming his first-ever TV show. Leading up to the scene the actor had major concerns. Wilcox thought he’d made a huge mistake agreeing to play “naked guy.”
“I read the script and saw that I was going to be naked on the episode and I thought, I will never work again,” he said. “This is going to be the worst thing I’ve ever done. No one will ever take me seriously.”
“This is either going to be amazing or terrible,” he said.
It turned out to be the former but the time he spent filming the scene wasn’t exactly carefree.
“It was a nerve-wracking day, to say the least,” Wilcox said.
The actor felt invincible after filming the ‘naked guy’ scene
After Wilcox made it through the “naked guy” scene he felt relieved. He even felt unstoppable.
“I have to be honest once we got through it I was like, ‘Oh I can do anything. I’ve been naked on camera now I’m fine. Bring it on,’” he said.
Initially, Wilcox signed on for a one-episode stint as Marty. His role eventually became more substantial.
Marty became Rory’s friend and classmate who developed feelings for her. Ultimately, Rory rebuffed Marty and the two stayed friends. That is until Rory began dating Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry).
Wilcox returned in Gilmore Girls Season 7 as the boyfriend of Rory’s new friend, Lucy (Krysten Ritter). In total, he appeared in 10 episodes of Gilmore Girls from 2003-2006, according to IMDb.
