Started out at Walmart, now he’s here! Netflix officially announced this week that Milo Ventimiglia will be reprising his role as Jess Mariano on the upcoming Netflix reboot, and the actor spoke to TV Line in an interview published on Thursday, February 11, to provide hints about what’s in store for Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and the leather jacket–loving bad boy.
Ventimiglia, 38, told TV Line that his character — a onetime Walmart employee of the month — will be much the same person he was when he briefly returned to Stars Hollow in season 6 for a work-related trip. Jess and Rory kissed during that reunion, but their romance was never the same after he moved to California to live with his dad at the end of season 3.
“He had written a book, and he was trying to re-inspire Rory into going back to her roots,” the actor says about Jess’ season 6 appearance. “Not much has changed in Jess’ world since then. Jess might’ve been a pain in the ass when he first got to Stars Hollow, but he grew up and became a pretty decent guy. So [the reboot is] kind of a continuation of that with Jess.”
When asked how many of the four 90-minute episodes he’ll appear in, Ventimiglia cryptically responded, “I would say more than two, less than four.” He added that he’ll begin filming his scenes soon and is “excited,” as he’ll be “reconnecting with old friends.”
The actor laughed when asked who Rory should end up with, saying, “Oh, God. I don’t know. I kind of love [Luke actor] Scott Patterson’s reaction to it at the Gilmore panel [at the ATX Television Festival in Austin] last year, where he said, ‘None of them.’ The fans are a better authority about who Rory should possibly be with or could be with.”
Indeed, devotees of the series — which signed off in May 2007 after seven seasons — continue to debate whether Rory should end up with Jess, hometown guy Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) or Yale beau Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). The reboot is likely to offer a clearer answer to that quandary, as all three guys are returning.
Netflix has not yet announced a title or launch date for the revival.
