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When it comes to iconic shows like Gilmore Girls (that we’ve watched more times than we’d like to admit), it’s hard to imagine them any other way. That’s why fans are always shocked to learn who could've become an integral part of casting. Imagine Milo Ventimiglianot as Jess? Or Matt Czuchry not as Logan? Or Lauren Graham not as Lorelai Gilmore? We truly can’t — but apparently, at the time the show was rolling, the casting directors were testing all of their options.
Keep scrolling to find out which of your fav celebs almost made it onto Gilmore Girls — and yes, Chris Pine is one of them.
1. Ryan Gosling As a Football Player
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Gosling didn’t quite make the cut as a football player on the show. But casting Director Jami Rudofsky told viewers at a Gilmore Girls Fan Festival in Connecticut that Gosling did audition. After seeing him try out for a previous independent film, she thought Gosling was “amazing.” Unfortunately though, this audition didn’t go Gosling’s way, or “fell flat” as the director put it, and he never made it to the GG screen.
2. Anna Kendrick In a Cameo
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Yes, Anna Kendrick did almost make a cameo on the famous television series. “The memory that at one point I couldn’t book a guest spot on Gilmore Girls is always on my mind,” she told the New York Times in 2015. “There is someone else out there who can do my job.” While it’s unclear exactly who Kendrick would’ve played on the show, we think she’d make a solid addition to Miss Patty’s crew, given her musical background in Pitch Perfect and all.
3. Chris Pine as a Boyfriend
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Imagine if the Princess of Genovia let us borrow Chris Pine for Gilmore Girls — lives would’ve been changed. Pine told W Magazine that his first-ever professional audition after just graduating college was for the show, which his father had helped him get. “Nepotism at its best,” the actor joked.
When asked which part he auditioned for, Pine answered, “I don’t know, maybe a boyfriend to someone. I got my start playing boyfriends, princes, husbands-to-be.”
4. Nathan Wetherington as Dean
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Before Jared Padalecki, Nathan Wetherington was up for the role as Dean Forester. Wetherington even occupied the oversized leather jacket in a Gilmore Girls pilot that never aired. You know that scene where the soon-to-be couple first meet in the hallway and bond over the movie Rosemary’s Baby?
Well, the actor told Entertainment Weekly that “Gilmore Girls was [his] first experience on set, ever, professionally.” He added that they “shot that scene, like, 45 times so they could get the books to fall the right way. It took all day.” The good news is that after the pilot had been filmed, the show got picked up on the WB. The bad news is that Wetherington soon received a letter, telling him that Dean was being recast.
5. Mädchen Amick as Lorelai
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Okay, so technically Amick did make her way to the Gilmore Girls screen as Sherry (AKA Christopher Hayden’s ex-wife and Gigi’s mom), but not as the original character she tried for. The actress was actually strongly considered for Lorelai. Amick told TVLine, “I actually got really far in the testing process and almost got the part of Lorelai. But the network said I didn’t seem old enough to be a mother, which I had thought was kind of the whole point.” She was then brought on to play Sherry for three episodes.
What do you think about these almost castings? Check out This Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Season 2 Idea Makes Rory Way More Likeable for more.
