Jared Padalecki Reveals His Favorite Gilmore Girls Scene
When remembering "Gilmore Girls," the hit comedy-drama series that aired from 2000 to 2007 (via The Guardian), the central relationship between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore immediately comes to mind.
The show follows the mother-daughter duo, played by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, respectively, as they navigate family issues, encounter romance, and drink lots and lots of coffee.
Although "Gilmore Girls" was canceled, it officially began streaming on Netflix in October 2014 (via The Washington Post), establishing a whole new generation of fans and rekindling others' love for the show's quirky characters and picturesque New England backdrop. As reported by The Guardian, "Gilmore Girls" has gained prominence as a "comfort show" during the age of streaming, with fans riding this wave of nostalgia through stressful life events — not to mention a pandemic.
One of the "Gilmore Girls" storylines most discussed by fans is Rory's love life, per Cosmopolitan. The younger Gilmore has three main boyfriends throughout the course of the show: Dean, Jess, and Logan.
Jared Padalecki plays Dean Forester, Rory's first-ever boyfriend in the series (via IMDb). We meet him, the new kid in town just starting at Stars Hollow High School, in the show's pilot episode (via Screen Rant). Together, Dean and Rory share many touching and (sometimes) cringe-worthy scenes — he even builds a car for her at one point (via Bustle).
But, among the countless Dean and Rory moments, actor Jared Padalecki has a definitive favorite.
Jared Padalecki loved the scene where Rory admitted her true feelings
In Episode 21 of Season 1, "Love, Daisies and Troubadours," Rory finally works up the courage to tell Dean she loves him, although she also calls him an "idiot" for not realizing it sooner, per Netflix Life.
They experience the ups and downs of a first relationship throughout the course of Season 1 and ultimately decide to go their separate ways when their feelings don't quite seem to line up in Episode 16 (via Decider). But Rory can't let go of Dean. When he drives to confront her at Chilton, the elite preparatory school Rory attends, she runs up to him and, in a moment of honesty, blurts out, "I love you, you idiot!" Then he goes in for a passionate kiss.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jared Padalecki reveals that this is his favorite scene from "Gilmore Girls." "Dean got to experience putting himself out there, going to a rich school and saying like, 'I don't belong here, but I'm going to go because I care about this person,' and then feeling like, 'Oh, here comes the shame' and then Rory comes and says, 'I love you, you idiot,' and it was a nice, sort of redeeming moment," he recalls.
This redeeming moment sets the stage for Dean and Rory's Season 2 romance, when they get back together and, for the time being, seem stronger than ever. Dean may not be the love of Rory's life, but their relationship is instrumental in helping her determine what she's really looking for in a partner.
Playing Dean almost hurt the actor's chances at landing another role
Ultimately, Jared Padalecki left "Gilmore Girls" for the CW's "Supernatural," which aired from 2005 to 2020 (via IMDb).
However, during the audition process, Padalecki struggled to distance himself from the famously bumbling Dean Forester, who just couldn't keep up with Rory and Lorelai's zippy dialogue. In fact, he was almost passed over for the starring role of Sam Winchester in "Supernatural" because of his portrayal of Dean.
In a 2019 TV Guide interview, Padalecki recalls the hesitance of "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke to cast him: "Eric's like, 'Uh, I've seen Gilmore Girls. We want Sam to be really smart.' And so my manager had to go, 'Uh, well, my client is a National Merit Scholar.'" Evidently, Padalecki convinced him, as the actor went on to play Sam throughout the show's 15-year run.
In the 2016 "Gilmore Girls" revival, Padalecki briefly reprised his role of Dean, bringing the pair's relationship full circle, per IMDb. The former lovebirds run into each other in Doose's market, which held a lot of history for them. Dean has settled down, married, and is a father of three (via Bustle). Rory is happy for him, and it's a satisfying resolution to their tumultuous (and, sure, sometimes touching) romance.