A Look At Lauren Graham And Melissa McCarthy's Bond In Real Life
On "Gilmore Girls," Lauren Graham's Lorelai Gilmore is best friends with Melissa McCarthy's Sookie St. James. When the show aired for 7 seasons from 2000 through 2007, the actors also enjoyed time together away from the show. During a Reddit AMA in 2014, Graham was asked how it was to work alongside McCarthy. "Truly hilarious and kind on set, and then I'd go see her in 'Groundlings' and be blown away by the characters she created," she wrote about her "GG" co-star.
Of course, McCarthy had a meteoric rise to fame after the show ended thanks to her role in "Bridesmaids." When it was announced that the cast of "Gilmore Girls" would be returning for a mini-series, there were doubts that McCarthy would be involved. "She's really f***ing busy," series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino told TVLine in February 2016, when discussing her possible return. A month later, the "Spy" star confirmed she would not be reprising her role as Sookie. "I didn't actually get asked to do it," she told E! in March 2016.
The cast filmed the four-part mini-series titled "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" later that year. Fortunately, McCarthy was able to carve out some time to make an appearance, and Lorelai and Sookie were reunited. "[F]rom other friends and family I wanted and hoped to be part of the show in some way, and that was the biggest piece," Graham told People in July 2016 when discussing bringing the gang back together. It was an emotional reunion for both Graham and McCarthy.
Lauren Graham cried when filming with Melissa McCarthy
Once the cast were reunited for the "Gilmore Girls" revival, they were able to pick up their old rhythms together. "Then we all were together on set and it was just great," Lauren Graham told ET in November 2016. "[We] got to hang out after ... so anything else is just icing on the cake," the "Parenthood" actor said. Even though McCarthy only had a cameo in the mini-series, she spent some time with her castmates and friends. "Oh my God, it was so sad. I got so sentimental," she told People in 2016 (via Entertainment Weekly).
McCarthy was not the only one who was overcome by the moment. When the scene between Lorelai Gilmore and Sookie St. James was filmed, Graham was overjoyed to reconnect with her longtime friend. "I was a complete mess ... I thought I [already] cried every tear that I had," she told Yahoo! in November 2016. "And to be there with her and click back into our genuine friendship and also our Stars Hollow friendship was ... really mind-blowing," she said about working once again with McCarthy.
Working together as Lorelai and Sookie was not the end of their friendship. To commemorate the 20-year anniversary of their WB series, McCarthy posted a snap with Graham to Instagram. "It's only taken 20 years for my growth spurt but I'm finally taller than LG!!" she jokingly wrote in February 2020. In later posts, McCarthy gushed over her former "GG" co-star.
Why Melissa McCarthy was so impressed with Lauren Graham
Around the same time that Melissa McCarthy posted a photo to Instagram alongside Lauren Graham for the "Gilmore Girls" 20 year anniversary, Graham was asked if she stayed in touch with her former castmates. "I check in with everybody, but Kelly Bishop is an important friend in my life," she told InStyle in February 2020 — Kelly Bishop played her mother, Emily Gilmore, on the show. Graham also mentioned that she spent a lot of time with "GG" alum Yanic Truesdale. "We are a similar age and go out."
A couple years later, McCarthy uploaded a snap to Instagram that featured a scene from "GG" with her, Graham, and Truesdale. That was part of three "GG"-centric posts "The Little Mermaid" actor posted in October 6, 2022. "Happy Stars Hollow season to all those who celebrate!! ... How was this 22 years ago?!" McCarthy wrote next to a throwback photo of her and Graham hugging on set. McCarthy capped off the nostalgic posts with a photo of a scene where she and Graham sat in a diner. "I have no idea how LG did all that dialog- she was amazing!!" she wrote in the caption.
While McCarthy has fond memories of working with Graham and the cast, she does not put "GG" on TV at her own home. "For some reason I'm always like, 'What if I pass out and paramedics come in and the takeaway is she was watching her own stuff,'" she said on "Sunday Today" in May.