‘Gilmore Girls’ Creator Reveals the Surprising Actor She Had to Have on the Show
- - ‘Gilmore Girls’ Creator Reveals the Surprising Actor She Had to Have on the Show
Nicole MooreJanuary 18, 2026 at 3:25 AM
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Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Gilmore Girlsco-creator Amy Sherman-Palladino opened up about the casting process of the beloved '00s series.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporterin October 2025, Sherman-Palladino said she requested Sean Gunn, who played quirky Star Hallows resident Kirk Gleason, to be a regular on the show, which had a seven-season run until 2007.
"We were unimportant at the time [compared to other WB shows], so we had a lot of leeway. We’d put these little parts on and if the character scored, we’d bring them back. Sean Gunn [who played Kirk] came in the first time and he was funny," said Sherman-Palladino to the publication. "We were like, 'Let’s bring him back for every time we had another part for him,' and then finally we just went to them and said, 'We need Sean Gunn to be a regular because he’s so funny. We can’t lose him to another show.'"
Sherman-Palladino also shared that she wrote roles for Liza Weil, who portrayed Rory Gilmore's (Alexis Bledel) frenemy, Paris Geller, Milo Ventimiglia, who portrayed Rory's complicated, book-loving boyfriend, Jess Mariano, and Matt Czuchry, who portrayed Rory's college boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger.
Sean Gunn Discussed Becoming a Regular on 'Gilmore Girls' in a September 2025 Interview
Gunn, who is the brother of director James Gunn, discussed becoming a Gilmore Girls regular in a September 2025 interview on The Party Nerds Pop-Cast. He explained that he was originally cast as a DSL installer for one season 1 episode, which led to more screen time.
"A couple episodes later, the creator of the show had a new character that was a delivery guy delivering swans to a wedding, she said to the casting directors, 'Get me a guy like that guy who played the DSL installer.' And one of the casting directors, bless her heart, Jami Rudofsky, said, 'Why don't you just hire that same guy again?' And so she started asking me back," said Gunn during the interview.
According to Gunn, he was asked back to appear on Gilmore Girls anytime a scene called for "somebody to pop in for a few seconds of comic relief." He also revealed he didn't realize he was playing the same character until "eventually they gave [Kirk] a name."
"I became part of like the fabric of the town. I became the guy who like had a million jobs and worked everywhere," said Gunn in the interview.
Gunn also said he's still approached by Gilmore Girls fans. He explained that the show had a resurgence of popularity because it began streaming on Netflix during 2014.
"I started doing that show in 2000. Did it for seven years and it's still, you know, today I'll meet 7-year-old, 8-year-old girls who it's their favorite show because of a second life for things like, you know, Netflix and all that stuff. Which is bonkers. Like, it blows my mind," said Gunn during the podcast interview.
Gunn reprised Kirk in the 2016 four-episode Netflix reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
