Thanks to his work as Kraglin in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Sean Gunn has had his fair share of exposure to a notoriously passionate group — comic book fans. But even they, he said, aren’t quite as fervent as fans of “Gilmore Girls.”
“The ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans might be crazier, which is insane to even say that,” Gunn, who played Kirk, told CNN in a recent interview leading up to the Netflix revival of the beloved show. “It’s weird to see the parallel between ‘Gilmore Girls’ and a lot of the Comic-Con-type, sci-fi-fantasy fans. In a weird way, even though ‘Gilmore Girls’ is not in that genre, the way the fandom conducts itself and has created this community is similar.”
That community is a big part of why the series is seeing a second life.
Despite wrapping up its run in 2007, the love for “Gilmore Girls” has never really died. If anything, it grew thanks to Netflix, who made all the seasons available for streaming in 2014.
Netflix greenlit a revival in January, a few months after much of the cast reunited at the ATX Television Festival in Austin to much fanfare.
Gunn was not at the Austin event, but remembers hearing rumblings about a possible return in the weeks and months that followed. He thought it was “strange and exciting.”
“It was very, very cool,” he said. “I’m ready to see what the fans think of it — how much they like it.”
Four “Gilmore Girls” mini-movies debut on Netflix November 25. Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel and most of the supporting cast will reprise their roles.
“I was a little nervous at first, sure,” Gunn said of stepping back into quirky Kirk’s shoes. “Then I walked onto set and I’m walking around and here I am in Stars Hollow and everything looked exactly how I remembered it looking … he came back pretty quickly.”
The hope is also that the warm, joy-filled feelings fans got from watching the original series comes roaring back, too.
With creator Amy Sherman-Palladino back at the helm — she was not part of Season 7 — chances are they will. But also, Gunn said, the show’s message about community is still one that resonates.
“I think the idea that the community you live in is an extension of your family is a really nice thing for people to think about and to wish for in their own lives,” he said. “The idea that a place like Stars Hollow exists, that’s safe and comforting and the people there actually look out for one another, that’s what appeals about the show to me.”
