Credit: @gilmoregirls
Television shows either make it, or they don’t, and no one can argue the fact that Gilmore Girls made it and then some. The show starring Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore, and Alexis Bledel as her daughter Rory Gilmore, was a success from day one. Set in the sleepy little town of Stars Hollow, Lorelai is a single mom raising her brilliant daughter and navigating complicated relationships. At the top of her complicated relationships list are her mother and her father, but Luke Danes is right below it. He’s the man who owns the local coffee shop – and her heart, though she doesn’t know it right away – and he’s a fan favorite. Here are a few things we all missed out on learning about Luke Danes during the show’s run.
Luke Danes Was Originally a Female
Not in the identity issues way, of course. The character was a woman. A woman was originally written into the show to be the woman who owned the coffee shop, but the network came to the show’s creator and told her no. They wanted a man in the role. There were too many women in the show already, and they wanted a man. Because Amy Sherman-Palladino is lazy, she didn’t change anything about the pilot dialogue (those are her words, not mine). She just changed the name and gender of the character, to begin with. Obviously, she made a few changes to Luke’s character over the years, but that’s how we got Luke Danes from the start.
Scott Patterson Was a Smoker, and He Had to Quit
To take on this role, he had to quit smoking. The show didn’t make him quit, but the fast conversation did. If there is one thing we all know about Gilmore Girls, it’s that the dialogue is fast. They only had 40 minutes to get a lot of talking into this show, so everyone just had to talk fast and move fast. Being a smoker outside of work made the job hard on Scott Patterson, who plays Luke Danes, and he quit. He had to be able to breathe and keep up, and smoking hindered him. Lauren Graham, interestingly enough, also had to quit smoking.
Credit: @gilmoregirls
He is Actually Lucas Danes
Everyone knows him as Luke Danes, but he’s always been Lucas. Most people don’t realize this for a long time, but two people in the series call him Lucas. One is Mia, the woman who owns the Independence Inn that Lorelai works for at the beginning of the series. The other is a woman by the name of Maisy. She’s a childhood friend of his mother’s – they went to school together – so he lets her get away with calling him Lucas despite the fact no one else does.
Luke Danes is Not Stupid
For many seasons, the world thought he didn’t understand the references that Lorelai and Rory are so famous for. Their quips often went right over his head, but that is not something that made him stupid. He’s a smart, intelligent, kind man who knows much but doesn’t pay attention to pop culture. Unless, of course, it has something to do with Star Trek.
Credit: @gilmoregirls
Why Do People Love Luke Danes So Much?
There are some Gilmore Girls fans who say that he is the best character from the show, and they’re not entirely wrong. While we love the other characters – there are few we are not smitten with – Luke is a character we all like. He’s quiet, but he pays attention. He likes the world to think of him as a hard man, but he is soft and kind. He likes to care for those around him, and he’s a gentleman. Danes might be a little gruff, but he’s always looking out for the people he loves. He’s the kind of guy who acts like he dislikes people, but he really would do anything for anyone, and he’s not afraid to stand his ground. There is nothing we don’t like about the character Luke Danes. If you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls yet, do it. It is a classic show worth watching at least once.
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