Amy Sherman-Palladino says it took a while for everyone to came around when it came to picking Melissa McCarthy for the role of Sookie St. James.
- June 8, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Melissa McCarthy nailed her role as the kooky Sookie St. James on "Gilmore Girls" but she almost didn't get the part. Speaking at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas over the weekend, series creator Amy-Sherman-Palladino said, "To get Melissa, I had to fight."
"They weren't sure. It wasn't that people didn't like her, but she was a different energy. She was a different kind of chick," she explained. "And the part was just written for a woman, There was no body type, there was nothing specific about it. I was like, 'I need someone funny who could really act.' "
Got (some of) the band back together for @TheTodayShow.
#ATXFestival
#gilmoregirlsreunion pic.twitter.com/6zJieWHjqD
�� Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) June 6, 2015"It was a tricky sell. And it took awhile...everyone came around, but it took a few shows," Sherman-Palladino added. "She is different and different is sometimes not the easiest thing to embrace. But that's true of life."
I've missed you, @alexisbledel. pic.twitter.com/eHiE4GRh5j
�� Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) June 6, 2015"So if we want people to embrace more Melissa McCarthys and more complicated parts...we got to keep putting them out there. We got to keep writing the parts, we got to keep fighting the fights, we got to keep willing to be fired, saying, 'You're wrong, Mr. Person With Money.' It's a fight. But anything worth doing is a fight."
Grateful to the woman who started it all.
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�� Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) June 6, 2015During the discussion panel, Sherman-Palladino also addressed question on whether or not an on-screen reunion was in the works. "I'm sorry, there's nothing in the works at the moment," she said, before adding, "My personal feelings though are that fans really deserve it. They have given us so much love and affection...let's give them a love better back."
Handsome boys.
@jarpad
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�� Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) June 6, 2015"It would have to be the right everything - the right format, the right timing, the right way," the creator went on. "It would have to be honored in a certain way and I think that if you look around, we would all jump in and do it."
The right timing was also a factor in the "Gilmore Girls" success, so she said. "Today, you don't sell Gilmore Girls; nobody buys it, it wouldn't happen," she explained. "The WB was at a point then when they were feeling rock 'n' roll and were anti-network ... they were feeling like 'We want original voices.' They had Joss Whedon ('Buffy the Vampire Slayer'), 'Dawson's Creek' (from Kevin Williamson) - they were looking for that."
She continued, "It was a time when a network was not looking for a cohesive brand; their brand was about the individual voices of the show. We were lucky because we were there at the time and they kind of just left us alone - which also never happens anymore. We ran wild like crazy meth kids around the WB lot."
