‘Gilmore Girls’: The Audition Scene That Won Kelly Bishop the Role of Emily Gilmore

TL;DR:

• Kelly Bishop auditioned for Gilmore Girls in New York and was surprised by the script.
• Bishop won the role of Emily Gilmore by tackling the character’s very first scene.
• The Gilmore Girls star is “baffled” by the positive responses to her character.

When it comes to Gilmore Girls, Emily may be the most underrated of the Gilmore women — but Kelly Bishop nails the role, bringing fans a character who’s clever, sassy, and charming. As it turns out, Bishop captured those traits during her audition for Gilmore Girls. She snagged the role by acting out Emily’s first scene with Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Richard (Edward Herrmann). And clearly, she struck a chord with her performance, as she won over the show’s casting directors and, eventually, its audience.

Kelly Bishop was surprised by the script for her ‘Gilmore Girls’ audition

Kelly Bishop’s audition for Gilmore Girls came at a time when sitcoms and Sopranos copycats were all the rage. And according to The Gilmore Girls Companion, Bishop didn’t feel “wild enthusiasm” about the other shows she tried out for. However, the length of the Gilmore Girls script — and the material within — proved a pleasant surprise for her.

“I kept looking at the length of the script because a sitcom script is fairly short, and an hour-long show is about twice the size,” Bishop recalled. “I kept thinking is this a sitcom? It’s so funny. No, it can’t be, just by the locations and the size of this script. This is absolutely wonderful.”

It’s fitting that Bishop appreciated the show’s humor, as she got to dig her heels into it during her audition. The scene that won her the role of Emily Gilmore sees her embracing the character’s snarky side. And she recalled finding it comical, even back then.

Emily Gilmore’s 1st scene won Kelly Bishop the role

The humor of Gilmore Girls is what caught Kelly Bishop’s attention, and she got to capture it during her audition. The scene she used to land the role would become Emily’s first on-screen interaction with Lorelai and Richard. It takes place when Lorelai shows up at her parents’ house to ask for money. Per The Gilmore Girls Companion, Bishop recalled:

“She says, ‘Hi Mom’ and I say, ‘Is it Easter?’ Because then when Ed [Herrmann] came in later, he had that same line. ‘Richard, look who’s here. Lorelai dropped by. And he said, ‘Is it Christmas,’ which I thought was terribly funny. It kind of said it all right there about the estrangement.”

As she points out, the writing does double duty, making viewers laugh and offering important insight into the Gilmores’ relationships with one another. It also highlights Emily’s charm, though Kelly Bishop doesn’t seem to like her character as much as fans do.

The ‘Gilmore Girls’ star is ‘baffled’ at fans’ love for Emily

That’s right, Kelly Bishop won Gilmore Girls fans’ hearts with her portrayal of Emily — but she isn’t quite sure why people like her character so much.

Per TVLine, Bishop spoke about Emily during a 2016 Gilmore Girls panel. And she revealed that she’s “baffled” by the positive responses to her character.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing what I call the nasty, rich women,” Bishop said. “Because I can’t stand them. So I try to make them as awful as possible.”

But even if she finds Emily “awful,” she did admit to enjoying her sense of humor.

“She is funny…if you don’t have to live with her,” the actor added.

Perhaps, then, it’s a testament to Bishop’s acting that Emily has resonated with viewers. We’re glad the script caught her eye all those years ago! Indeed, it’s hard to imagine Gilmore Girls without Bishop landing her role.

Gilmore Girls is currently streaming on Netflix.

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