Luke From Gilmore Girls Was Originally Supposed To Be A Woman Named Daisy
While the WB dramedy "Gilmore Girls" focuses on the charming dynamic between Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), fans were also drawn to the romance in the show. For instance, one of the series' most compelling storylines was the development of Lorelai's relationship with the curmudgeonly diner owner, Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Fans watched the gruff restaurant proprietor pine for Lorelai as he poured her coffee and made repairs to her home. After four seasons of romantic tension, the pair shared a kiss in Season 4, Episode 22 ("Raincoats and Recipes"). However, the romance between the Star Hollow residents is relatively short-lived due to their decisions to keep secrets from each other. Lorelai eventually rekindles her friendship with Luke after divorcing Rory's father, Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), in Season 7. Nearly ten years after their reconciliation, Lorelai and Luke tie the knot in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" Episode 4 ("Fall").
While speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2016, the creator of "Gilmore Girls," Amy Sherman-Palladino, revealed that despite Luke's significance on the show, he did not appear in the original script for the pilot.
The Luke's Diner owner was going to be completely different
During the Entertainment Weekly interview, Amy Sherman-Palladino explained that she envisioned the Luke's Diner owner as a character named Daisy. "Luke was originally a female character," the "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" creator explained. "[The network] came to me and said we need another guy, so I literally just took a character and changed the name. [I] didn't even change any of the dialogue because I'm that lazy."
Sherman-Palladino also noted Luke and Lorelai's chemistry was apparent early on in the series. She specifically referenced a moment from Season 1, Episode 7 ("Kiss and Tell"), where Luke chastises Lorelai for having an intense reaction toward Rory's first boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki), as she watches him bag groceries. "We did a few shows and they just had chemistry," Sherman-Palladino said.
In a 2016 BUILD Series interview, Scott Patterson shared similar information about Luke. He explained that when he secured the role, he was informed the character would only appear in the pilot episode. However, he noticed that Luke's Diner seemed to be an important establishment in Stars Hollow, causing him to correctly surmise that the flannel enthusiast would stick around. "My manager at the time said, 'This is a heat check, this is a chemistry check, so if the chemistry's good then it'll probably turn into more,'" Patterson explained. "And it did."