Lauren Graham Had To Quit This Dangerous Habit For Her Gilmore Girls Role

For the role of Lorelai Gilmore, sacrifices had to be made. As part of the “Gilmore Girls” collective, Lauren Graham had to talk a mile a minute to get all the excessive dialogue out of the way. Scott Patterson confessed to The New York Times the anxiety the actors felt when they would get additional pages of dialogue on the day they would perform scenes.

“Lauren and I were sitting in the makeup chair,” recalled the actor who played curmudgeonly diner-owner Luke Danes. “We looked at each other with this abject terror, and then we got to work.” These types of scenes were a hallmark of the series but also came with consequences. Very quickly, it was clear what both Patterson and Graham had to stop doing. The co-stars were cigarette smokers, and the amount of dialogue made it impossible to continue the lifestyle.

“She needed her wind, and I needed my wind,” Patterson reported. Though Lorelai has certainly cornered the territory on being the quippiest, Luke has his share of heavy dialogue. Luke continues to be the best “Gilmore Girls” boyfriend by a long stretch, and you don’t get that way without keeping up with Lorelai. But as iconic as the duo is, their history is not without its drama.