Kelly Bishop, best known for playing family matriarch Emily Gilmore for seven seasons of “Gilmore Girls,” spoke with “CBS Mornings” about the beloved show, her controversial character and how she coped after the death of her husband.
“I loved the character. I loved the writing,” Bishop said of the show. She said that because women are “taught to be good girls and ladies,” some actors have a hard time playing characters that aren’t. “Sometimes I see them playing a rough character, and I pull back a little bit because I don’t want her to be too mean. And I’m like, ‘No, no, no, bam! I love her.'”
Bishop said she enjoyed playing complex characters, but added that she could never be friends with Emily.
“Because that’s exactly the type of woman I don’t want to be with or like, so if I think she’s awful, I make her even worse,” she said.
Bishop also revealed what every “Gilmore Girls” fan wants to know: Was she teamed with Dean, Jess or Logan as Rory?
“I’m a Logan guy,” she says. “The whole cast was fantastic, they were good-looking, great actors, fascinating to work with, but there was something about the way Matt presented himself that I would call old-time movie star-like.”
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On the personal front, the Tony Award winner spoke about her new memoir, “The Third Gilmore Girl,” which is about her late husband and how she sought inner peace and tranquility after his death.
“I found a therapist. I had been in therapy years ago, but then I found a cognitive behavioral therapist. It’s interesting, I love this woman and we just sit and talk. It’s like girlfriends talking to each other.”
While Bishop is also known for her roles in the film Dirty Dancing and Broadway’s A Chorus Line in addition to Gilmore Girls, she’s always had a deep appreciation and affection for the series.
“It’s a really great show, well written and well cast,” she said. “It’s funny and smart and has a real kindness to it that I think is really appealing. We’re going to be going back to that.”
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