Emily Gilmore is heading back to Stars Hollow — with a very different storyline. Kelly Bishop opened up about Netflix’s Gilmore Girls revival and how her character is now a widow in a recent interview with TVLine.
As previously reported, Bishop’s TV husband, Ed Herrmann, died at the age of 71 in December 2014 following a battle with brain cancer. Bishop, 71, and the late star, who played husband Richard Gilmore, starred on the beloved series together from 2000 to 2007.
“It’s going to be very difficult [without Ed],” Bishop told TVLine. “We so miss him. We’ve missed him since we found out he had died. It’s going to be very hard doing it without him, because he and I were buds on the show.”
“We always did our crossword puzzles together in the hair-and-makeup room. That was one of our little routines. There was a comfort level,” she continued. “It’s going to be hard without him.”
Bishop will reprise her role alongside onscreen daughter Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and granddaughter Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). Last week, it was officially confirmed that Netflix will produce four 90-minute episodes; each show will focus on a different season.
“I read [the first script] ‘Winter.’ I’ve read ‘Spring.’ I’m in the middle of ‘Summer’ now. And ‘Fall’ came to me the other day – it’s still in the box. I won’t open the box until I finish ‘Summer,'” Bishop said. “These scripts are good. They’re really good. And bringing back all of those characters is so delicious.”
Although Bishop can’t reveal too much, she did explain what fans can expect from Emily when the episodes premiere. “Emily lost her husband, she’s kind of a raw nerve. In a desperate attempt to push through [her grief], she blows between right on the edge of losing it to almost being a little manic,” she explained. “[Richard] is certainly a presence, especially in that first script. And Ed’s probably going to be hovering around the set a bit and watching over us. I really do believe that. Because he really loved the show.”
Emily will still bicker with her stubborn daughter Lorelai, too. “I think I would like to see her, since she has been thrust into this [widow] situation, grow a bit,” Bishop said. “However, let’s face it, good comedy and good drama always comes from conflict. And there always has to be conflict between me and Lorelai. If we got along we’d all be falling asleep in front of our televisions. She’s a very confused woman in a lot of ways. She’s secretly very proud of Lorelai, and yet she’s really mad at her, ever since she was 16 and got pregnant. She’s still holding on to that.”
