When news of the Gilmore Girls revival was first announced back in January, one of the pressing items that fans wanted to know, besides the final four words, was how Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) was going to handle life without her husband, Richard, as Edward Herrmann died in December 2014. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life showed viewers how Emily was coping with Richard’s death and Bishop talked with The Hollywood Reporter about her on-screen persona’s growth and journey in the new series.
Bishop said she really enjoyed the material that husband-and-wife team Daniel Palladino and Amy Sherman-Palladino gave her to work with in terms of Richard’s death. “I was delighted with what they wrote, I really was. I just thought it was so interesting. And I liked her seeing her really evolve and grow and try to find herself and all of the different stages of grief between the pain and the loss and the rage and the confusion and trying to find what the next step is for her.”
She also added that, if Herrmann was still alive and a part of the revival, there wouldn’t be as much growth in Emily’s character that viewers were able to see in the revival.
As for one of the scenes in the final installment, where Emily goes on a rant to her fellow Daughters of the American Revolution, Bishop said it was one of her favorite scenes to shoot. She said she even told Sherman-Palladino that she wanted to be able to say “bulls–t,” which Sherman-Palladino said she absolutely could because they were on Netflix now instead of the WB and the CW, where the show’s original run took place from 2000 to 2007.
Bishop also said that her and Sherman-Palladino made the decision together that Emily would be the only one who would swear in the entire series.
She also said she really enjoyed the scenes in the final episode where Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Emily had a heart-to-heart moment when Emily was talking about selling the house and moving to Nantucket as Lorelai asked for a loan so that she could annex a building in Stars Hollow so the Dragonfly Inn would be able to expand.
About that scene, Bishop said “that’s just another way of holding onto her because, we realize by the end of the show, they’ve become so much closer than they ever were. And I think its something that they both yearned for. Obviously, with Lorelai being the rebellious young woman she was – that was hugely disappointing and embarrassing, her getting pregnant and not marrying the guy – can you imagine what Emily went through with her social circle? I mean, whoa. But she always wanted to be close.”
And, of course, the legendary actress wanted to know about the final four words just as much as the rest of the fans. She said she asked Sherman-Palladino and said she “wasn’t even sure if I was getting a straight answer. My reaction was just like ‘Hmm, now that’s interesting.’ I didn’t have any big strong reaction to it.”
As for if she wants more Gilmore Girls episodes, Bishop said she’d do more, then added that she would work with them anytime they had a role for her. “I love her work, and Dan too, but Amy’s really my gal. I always jump at the chance to work with her when I can. She’s amazing,” Bishop said.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is now available for streaming on Netflix.