Sometimes the most memorable characters are the ones no one expects. WhenGilmore Girlspremiered on the WB in 2000, of course, the standouts wereLauren Grahamand newcomerAlexis Bledelas Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. As the series progressed and found its footing and voice, other side characters began to stand out as well. In theAmy Sherman-PalladinoandDan Palladinocreated series,one of those standouts was Kirk Gleason, played bySean Gunn(Guardians of the Galaxy). Gunn starred inGilmore Girlsoriginally here and there, but as the series developed, so did Kirk as the quirky, make-you-scratch-your-head, “that’s Kirk” every man we knew by the final season.
Speaking on a panel hosted by Collider’sSteve Weintraubat Indiana Comic Con, Gunn explained how Kirk developed, and why the show is still so successful. “The proof is in the pudding,” he told the audience. He says of Kirk:
“There’s something about that character that I feel like was really sort of the first thing that people got to know me from andthat sort of launched my career, and there’s something about the essence of that character thatI’m proud of and that I think lives on in a way.”
Sean Gunn Says He Logged a Lot of Long Days on ‘Gilmore Girls’
Gilmore Girls remains beloved, with such longevity that it sparked a 2016 revival,Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, in which Gunn reprised his role. Gunn speaks fondly of the show but also talks about the long days and the long scripts behind the scenes. He says, “I would never even want to, you know, like,tarnish the experience by thinking that it was negative.” He explains, “that it [filming the show] was particularly grueling, but… I love the people that I worked with, I don’t get to see a lot of them as often as I would like, but I still do still keep in touch with people, and it’s always good to reconnect, but, you know,I loved doing the show.”
He says that they were “shooting 10 pages a day” which turned into “16-hour days.“Gilmore GirlsstarLauren Graham has also spoken in the pastabout those long scripts, due in part to just how much quippy dialogue was packed into a single episode.
Gunn also touched on the difference in how television is made now versus whenGilmore Girlswas in development. When he first appeared in the series, he did so on basically an “as-needed” basis. As he continued appearing in the second season of the WB series, Gunn tells Collider that “they came in and said, hey… they want to make you a series regular.” Could we ever see Kirk again? “I’m one of the few who are like,I would do it again probablyif they can, you know, if there was more,but I wouldn’t hold your breath on that,” said Gunn.
Gilmore Girlsis available to stream on Netflix. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.
Gilmore Girls
