‘Gilmore Girls’: Roy Choi Told Lauren Graham Acting in ‘AYITL’ Was Just Like Running His Kitchen

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was a highly-anticipated sequel series to the iconic early 2000s show Gilmore Girls. The series gave fans a chance to catch up with their favorite characters. And for the actors who inhabited those characters, it served as a bit of a homecoming. Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai in the franchise, has frequently talked about her love for the series, and what it was like to film the sequel show. In a recent interview, Graham discussed one of the celebrity guest stars from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. This unlikely source gave her some fantastic insight into the craft of acting.

‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ featured a lot of celebrity cameos

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is considered to be the unofficial eighth season of Gilmore Girls. The original series ran from 2000 through 2007. And the revival debuted on Netflix in 2016, after years of fan demand.

The show saw the return of most of the original cast, including Graham and Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore. With lots of heartfelt moments despite the changes in the lives of the main characters, many fans were able to dive into the world of Stars Hollow as if they never left.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life didn’t just feature the involvement of the talented main cast. Many guest stars and celebrities appeared in the series as well. One of these stars was Roy Choi, who is a well-known figure in the restaurant world.

What did Roy Choi tell Lauren Graham about the process of acting while filming ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’?

In a recent interview with Sam Pancake, Graham discussed what she learned about acting from working with Choi. “When we did A Year in the Life, Chef Roy Choi was one of our guest stars. And he had never acted before,” Graham explained. “I said ‘Is this strange for you?’ And he said ‘No, you know, this reminds me of being in the kitchen.’ He’s like, ‘I’m in charge of my thing, but I’m totally aware of what’s going on around me and how I can be the best team player.'”

Graham continued. “And that’s what, over time, the experience of being on a set is. If you’re paying attention and spending hours and hours with these people. I know what the technical jobs are, and you know, what they need to do it the way they want to do it.”

Several famous chefs had small roles in ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’

Choi wasn’t the only celebrity chef who had a bit part in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. He was joined at Lorelai’s Dragonfly Inn by another Food Network staple, Rachael Ray. As reported by Screen Rant, Choi and Ray appear alongside each other as cooks at the inn, primarily serving to remind the audience of just how much Sookie was missed.

Of course, other stars such as Paul Anka, Ray Wise, and Jason Ritter also had small roles in the series — proving that celebrities across industries were eager to lend their talents to the magic of the Gilmore Girls universe. To date, there hasn’t been another Gilmore Girls revival, but viewers will always have A Year in the Life.