‘Gilmore Girls’: Jared Padalecki Realized He Was Living His Dream Filming With Edward Herrmann

Gilmore Girls holds a special place in the hearts of fans and the TV show’s cast. For Jared Padalecki, the actor who played Dean Forester, one particular scene with Edward Herrmann stands out to him. 

Jared Padalecki is an OG ‘Gilmore Girls’ cast member

Padalecki joined Gilmore Girls as Rory Gilmore’s (Alexis Bledel) first love interest. The characters dated for nearly two years.

Then Rory started dating Luke Danes’ (Scott Patterson) nephew, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia). Gilmore Girls fans remain divided on who Rory should’ve ended up with, Dean or Jess.

Padalecki wasn’t the first actor to play Dean. He signed on for Gilmore Girls at the last minute after another actor played the role in an unaired version of the pilot.

According to IMDb, Padalecki made his first appearance in the pilot episode of the series. In all, the actor starred in 63 Gilmore Girls episodes with a season 5 episode being his last. 

Jared Padalecki’s favorite scene with Edward Herrmann on ‘Gilmore Girls’

Padalecki and the late Edward Herrmann had a few scenes together on Gilmore Girls. When Rory dated Dean, she introduced him to her grandparents, Richard (Herrmann) and Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), at a Friday night dinner.

However, that’s not Padalecki’s favorite scene he filmed with Herrmann. 

The actor’s most memorable scene with Herrmann took place in Gilmore Girls Season 2 Episode 12: “Richard in Stars Hollow.” 

Richard didn’t approve of Dean giving Rory a car he built himself. The scene is tense while Gypsy (Rose Marie Abdoo) examines the car. But for Padalecki, it’s a cherished memory. 

The actor told Entertainment Weekly why in a 2016 YouTube video. 

“We were standing outside, I think it was Rose’s mechanic shop,” he said. “But I remember, whatever it was about that night, it was a beautiful night.”

“It was chilly, but you were awake. I had just moved to LA within the year, I’m shooting with this actor that I’ve had utmost respect for and been a fan of for years when I was in middle school in Texas,” he said, referring to Herrmann.

Padalecki continued, saying filming that particular scene made him realize he was living his dream.

“I kind of sat there and went like, ‘I’m living my dream. This is it. When I dared to dream, I dreamt about this and here I am,’ and there were many moments like that, but that sticks out to me,” he added. 

Edward Herrmann died in 2014 before the ‘Gilmore Girls’ Netflix revival

Padalecki and Herrmann never got to do another scene together after the original run of Gilmore Girls. Herrmann died on Dec. 31, 2014. 

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life didn’t premiere on Netflix until November 2016. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, wrote Herrmann’s death into the revival.

See Padalecki’s scene with Herrmann that made him realize he was living his dream on Netflix. All seven seasons of Gilmore Girls are streaming on the platform as well as the revival.