SpoilerLunch with Luke
I just came back from my lunch with Scott and I am flying. He was so great. Besides being a damn fine looking specimen of a man, he is charming, intelligent, and totally engaging as a lunch companion. The time passed way too fast.
I wish I could remember verbatim all that was said (most of it by me unfortunately – I am a total motor mouth) but I will try to give you the gist of the conversation. He was so polite and attentive that he made me feel that he was totally captivated with every word I spoke. Granted, the man is a trained actor but throughout the meal he really convinced me that he thought I was gripping conversationalist. It was only after, as I reviewed the babble that poured forth from my mouth, did the clouds of my egotistical delusion dissipate and the reality that he was only being polite slapped me to consciousness.
It doesn’t matter, I had my moment with him and it was a great memory. Thank you, Scott, where ever you are! (Hey, you never know he might sneak on to read the threads even though he says he never does.)
Here is what happened. Scott’s publicist called me this morning and told me that Scott was scheduled to break for lunch at 1:18 PM (no that wasn’t a typo, for billing purposes, hours are broken up into 6 minute blocks – hence 1:18 not 1:15). I was told to drive into Gate 2 at 12:55PM where the guard would have my pass. An intern named Cat would then escort me to Scott.
Since our hotel is on the same street as Gate 2 (Olive) and is only about 10 minutes away, I drove out of the hotel parking lot at 12:45PM. It turns out that we are actually only 7 minutes away because I logged onto the lot at 12:52 PM. The guard sent me to stage 17 and told me to park in space M which I did. I got out of my car and then bupkus! No one is around and I have no idea what to do.
I stood in front of the stage 17 entrance and called Scott’s publicist to ask her what I should do. Of course, I had been momentarily gripped with the desire to run free through the sound stage, snapping pictures and stealing anything I could get a hold of in a wild rampage but the urge passed as my better nature took over. I realized that such behavior would reflect poorly on Scott and I couldn’t do that to our Luke. (Yes, I know that Scott and Luke as not the same people but all of my Luke-love just naturally transfers to Scott and I feel protective of him.)
I placed a call to Scott’s publicist, Laina, whose response was “Oh, sh*t!” when I explained that I was all alone with no idea where to go. She told me to wait where I was while she checked with Scott.
Laina called back and sent me to the commissary to meet Scott who she said was waiting for me there. (Yes, I was left to find the commissary by myself). Luckily the commissary is kitty corner from stage 17 so I found it pretty quickly.
As I was looking around, guess who I see? No, not Scott but Angel and SPA! They had taken another Deluxe Tour and were eating lunch with their group at the commissary when I arrived. I explained to them that I was supposed to meet Scott there but they assured me that if Scott was in the vicinity, they would have been on him (literally) and since they weren’t (on him), he definitely was not there.
I looked around myself (it’s not that I didn’t believe them but …) and they were right, no Scott! I called Laina back who then told me that Scott was still on the set and Cat (the intern) who was suppose to meet me originally was now really on her way to get me.
When I finally connected with Cat, she informed me that the filming was running late and that now Scott was now not scheduled to break until 1:30. She sent be back to wait at the commissary so I sat with Angel and SPA (who were suddenly eating ver-r-r-r-r-ry slowly -- like making one green bean last 30 minutes slow).
Finally, Scott appeared. He was dressed in jeans and a faded tee shirt (it had a faded reference to a ski race but I couldn’t read it). I believe that he was wearing his own personal clothing. He is a little thinner than he looks on the screen but even better looking (if you can believe that is possible). And yes, his finger nails were manicured but no polish (LOL – hence one of my little teasers yesterday in the thread).
He was very nice and immediately greeted me and led me into the commissary (I had been waiting for him outside). He wanted to what I wanted to eat but seriously, I wasn’t hungry so I told him to select what he wanted. He went to the grill section and spoke with the server like they were old friends (he eats in the commissary almost daily).
After we got our food, he took my plate and told me to find a table while he paid for our food. I was so flustered, I had neglected to get silverware or a napkin but Scott took care of getting all of that for me. (Seriously, the man must have thought I was an idiot who ate with her hands!)
As we sat down at the table, there was a little drama with SPA as she stalked him but I will let her tell you about that. It wasn’t a major incident though I do believe that Scott is now preparing a dossier on her that may be referenced in the future by the police – LOL.
When we finally sat down to eat, he sort of hesitantly asked me something like “What was your journey to get here?” Seriously, he used the j-word and it threw me for a second. I didn’t want to have to explain that because of this crappy story line and the duel “journeys” of both Lorelai and Luke that the very mention of the J word brings forth dark and creepy feelings of doom (plus I couldn’t figure out exactly what he was asking me).
I hemmed and hawed for a second like an idiot (I seem to remember doing quite a lot of idiot impressions during our conversation) until I finally asked “Do you want to know where I am from?”
He looked at me kind of puzzled and admitted that he couldn’t remember why we were having lunch together! Seriously, the impression I got was he was told by his publicist that he was having lunch with a strange woman named Debra and that’s all the information he was given! He smiled rather shyly and endearingly as he admitted that he had no idea why he was eating lunch with me. The whole scene was rather sweetly awkward.
At that point I filled him in on the information he was missing and suddenly it was all making sense to him (yes, he did remember the auction but it was back in December). I also began to fill him in on the reason for my vacation to LA since he was a little taken back by the (mistaken) idea that I had flown to LA just to have lunch with him in the commissary. (I think the idea was a little too intense for him to deal comfortably with the concept). I assured him (meaning I lied to him) that I was definitely not that fanatical about the show that I would fly 2000 miles just to eat lunch with him at the commissary!
Seriously at first, his body language was somewhat guarded as he realized that he was sitting with a member of the CIPs (Crazy Internet People). I could almost read concern turning to fear that (bordered on terror) but as we talked (actually I babbled and he listened) about the forums and TWoP, his stance began to relax.
He was not really familiar with the online forums but had heard of TWoP! No he never logged on. (He shared with me he has NO time to do anything but work during the filming season. As he put it waving his hand to encompass the full spectrum of the studio lot – “This is my home and my entire life during 9 months of the year!”)
Scott appeared very focused and interested when I began telling his about the CIPs and the forums. Of course, I had to provide him with definitions for the acronyms that I used and when I explained the origins of the BB’s he leaned back a let loose a laugh that I could only describe as a guffaw. The origins of that title really seemed to really tickle him.
He asked some penetrating and insightful questions about the online forums that lead me to believe that he was readjusting his perception of the CIPs. I suspect that his previous opinion had been colored by the belief that appears to permeate much of the Hollywood culture that the Internet is populated with people with psychological disorders, bizarre ideas, and questionable motives.
I attempted to convey to him the impression that we are a loosely cohesive group with participants from all walks of life that come together with a sense of community to discuss, analyze, scrutinize, evaluate, interpret, dissect, and speculate on anything and everything Gilmore. Though there are a few people on the forum who tend to take center stage holding the most passionate discussions and that there are others who merely lurk making only rare comments, there is a wide base participation in our forums.
He appeared slightly befuddle as to what drives us to the boards until I compared our passion to that of sports enthusiast dissecting the latest game. That appeared to be an analogy that connected with him.
Scott was interested in what CIPs wanted in the story since so many of us are dissatisfied with the current version. He (and the whole cast and crew along with the network) is acutely aware of the loss of over a million viewers. He was interested in knowing what it is about the current story that so upsets us.
In my most diplomatic fashion (LOL), I attempted to explain. He didn’t seem too surprised that I described the scenes between Lore and Chris as boring and passionless but he was a bit taken back by my characterization of the current version of Lorelai as “a narcissistic, spineless, pathetic sycophant”.
Scott broke into unrestrained laughter, as I begged him not to tell Lauren what I said. Apparently he has a mischievous and teasing side to his nature because I never was able to get him to agree not to share my description of Lorelai with Lauren.
I really hope he didn’t say anything to her about it. I don’t want Lauren to think I hate Lorelai. After all, I did not give up on Luke after Amy hit him with her “Stupid Stick” last season and turned him into Pod!Luke! I can hang around a little longer (very little because my patience has become exceedingly flimsy and fragile) until this uninteresting and exceedingly annoying fake Lorelai evaporates and the “real” Lorelai returns.
Scott asked me if what I thought the reaction of the fans would be if this was the last season and it ended with Lorelai and Luke together. Without hesitation, I replied, “We would feel like we were screwed!”
He was a bit taken back again by my vehement hostility. I went on to explain that we fans had remained steadfast even through what we considered poorly paced and badly constructed nonsensical storylines with uncharacteristic and unrealistic behavior by all of our beloved main characters. If the show ended just with Lorelai and Luke together (married or not) it would mean that we never got to see the real story we wanted and felt was promised us.
Scott seemed a perplexed by my answer so I went on to explain. Yes, we want to see Lorelai and Luke married but that is only the beginning. We have been fantasying about the “middle” of the Luke and Lorelai story for years. We long to see the story of these two independent, stubborn, and somewhat dysfunctional characters who love each other passionately struggle to make their marriage work. To us, that story sounds powerfully moving with drama and suspense mixed with humor and wit. We imagine endless possibilities for conflict followed by character growth and new understanding.
I may have been mistaken but Scott appeared to comprehend the possibilities that such a story opened up for the characters. The story concept I shared with him may have been a new concept but if I read him right, he saw the possibilities that it offered.
In telling Scott some of my fantasies for the L/L storyline (the clean ones, not the dirty ones), I casually mentioned that I thought that the Crap Shack should be burnt down.
Scott’s reaction to my comment was classic.
His face first took on the expression which I can only describe as a total a wide-eyed startled look and then it morphed into an amused bewilderment as he asked me why on earth I thought the house needed to burn. He added, “and where would you have Lorelai live?”
I explained to him that since Christopher had now lived in the Crap Shack, his (evil) essence infused and infested all aspects of the house. (I can’t help it but every time I think about Christopher in that house, I have a vision of him peeing all around the perimeter marking his territory and no, I did not share that image with Scott.). I continued on explaining how there is no way I can imagine Luke ever feeling comfortable in that house or the fans feeling comfortable with Luke living there after Christopher sullied it.
I declared firmly that all remnants of the EiF must be erased. Of course then I had to explain about the EiF, which produced another hearty laugh from Scott. He really does have an infectious laugh.
At that point he interjected that David Sutcliffe is such a nice guy that it is too bad so many seem to dislike him.. I responded that we don’t hate David just Christopher and we do understand the difference between the actor and the character. In fact many of us like David so much we put forth a great effort last summer in an (unsuccessful) attempt to find him a permanent acting gig. (Scott laughed.)
I continued explaining that we don’t just want him gone from the show just because he interferes with Lorelai and Luke but because we don’t like how Lorelai acts around him. The Lorelai that Lauren is presenting around Christopher is just plain annoying.
I mentioned to him that beginning the second half of last season, the transformation of both Lorelai and Luke into characters that we didn’t recognize and didn’t particularly like had alienated many fans. (His body language told me that I wasn’t telling him anything new.) I told him that I understood that the story needs drama and tension to maintain interest but just because a story is dramatic it doesn’t make it good and entertaining. (He smiled kind of apologetically but said nothing.)
I went on to say that thankfully Luke seems to have returned to pretty much his old self this season but Lorelai has gotten worse. Well maybe not worse because her behavior in Partings took the character to a detestable level most of us can not identify with and the character has stay at that level all season so far. I then mentioned that maybe it is the way she is being directed or maybe it is because the Christopher is so quippy also but the two of them together are the equivalence of squeaky wheel. Their banter just annoys the hell out of me and gets on my last nerve.
I also mentioned that I find their chemistry together more like a brother and sister than two lovers and that makes their sleeping together and marriage creepy on so many levels.
Scott mumbled something like maybe it is because they are such good friend that it comes across that way. I took from that the brother/sister vibe that I am picking up is definitely not what they are trying to project.
His next comment was in the vein of an analysis; not a snide remark. He asked me if I thought that Christopher was not strong enough against Lorelai. I enthusiastically replied yes, that is part it. He kind of mumbled something sort of to himself about Luke needs to always be strong around Lorelai. (That was kind of interesting. Sort like I was momentarily privy to his work product.)
I went on to share the theory that so many on this forum have articulated (and to which I agree) that Lorelai’s attachment for her house is impeding her maturity. I explained that initially the house symbolized her growth and independence but now it has become a restraint preventing additional growth and progress. It is acting like her cocoon and the time has come for her to break free, spread her wings, and take flight.
Then I declared that Luke should build them a new house (well, not him by himself but of course I wouldn’t mind seeing him with the tool belt with or without tee). I went on to explain that what we want to see in this show is the type of everyday drama that it depicted in the first years, the type of drama that we can connect and relate to.
I told him that we don’t want nor expect Luke and Lorelai to unite and just become a happy boring couple. These are two feisty people with enough baggage to require a separate travel trailers so of course we would expect bumps and fire. What we want to see is them plug away through their issues, sometime awkwardly and sometimes with grace but mostly we want to see them passionately strive to work through their problems together.
I mentioned that as a daughter of a homebuilder (and granddaughter of one, and sister of two) I have seen a lot of couples bargain, bicker, negotiate, cajole, bully, charm and full out fight as they make the many decisions needed to build a house. I pointed out that I could see that as a running issue popping up in several episodes as they try to put together the perfect home for them and their growing family. Okay, I might have mentioned that if Lorelai was pregnant (with twins) it could build up an additional complication as Luke struggles to rein Lorelai in with wild hormones causing vacillation and moodiness in her decisions.
As I spoke of this I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he seem to get what I was trying to say. He made a comment kind of like “so the tension between them would revolve around their struggles to find a way to blend their styles and desires.”
I nearly jumped out of my chair (and into his lap – LOL) when he said that. I was trying (almost desperately) to explain that there are plenty of day to day issues that can cause tension between a couple without tearing them apart and he seemed to get it. What’s more, he seemed to like it. (Maybe I was reading what I wanted to see into it.)
I think I said at that point something like, “If you could just get me into the writer’s room…” Yeah, like that’s going to happen. All I can really hope for is he shares some of this with the writers but I don’t think the actors have that much input into the stories.
Actually at one point Scott pleaded (almost apologetically) that he had not idea why the writers chose the direction they did. If I was reading him correctly, he was trying to convey that he didn’t really agree with their choice but he wasn’t going to openly contradict them.
I did touch on the issue of the contract negotiations for season eight. I shared with him what we had heard, that Lauren was open to the idea especially since they are now giving her producer credit but Alexis really doesn’t want to. I also stated that it is our understanding Lauren has made it clear that she will only sign if Alexis signs. I cautiously mentioned that we heard that his people are currently in contract negotiations with the studio and they are negotiating for an increase in salary (I felt a little sheepish as I said because that is really very personal).
He stared at me dumbfounded as he asked, “How do you know all this?”
I admitted that I couldn’t remember exactly but I thought the information came from several sources, one being Michael Ausiello.
He smiled politely but I got the impression that he didn’t really want to talk about the negotiations. I did ask him if it would help motivate Alexis to feel more positive about signing if we all sent her letters begging her to stay. He laugh as he said, “Remember she’s only 24” (actually she’s 25 but I guess he doesn’t keep track of her age real closely) “and who knows what 24 years old want. I did something really stupid when I was 24 and it had a major affect on my career.”
No, I don’t know what he was talking about and I got the distinct impression that he wasn’t going to talk to me about it. Anyway, I think my take on this is what we have heard about the negotiations for an eight season are accurate. No one is signed but everyone is talking and trying to get the sweetest deal possible which makes sense. This is their careers and they have to look at this pragmatically.
Oh, I forgot something. At one point earlier in the conversation I had asked him what he wanted to do after Gilmore Girls was over. He admitted that he was being sent a lot of scripts, some movies and some pilots. Then he gave me that infamous smirk as he asked me, “What kind of role do you see me playing next.”
Wow, that kind of caught me off guard. I hemmed and hawed while I tried to form a logical thought (unsuccessfully) and then I started babbling about Ben Casey (Vince Edwards in a “gritty realistic hospital drama featuring a manly Dr. Casey against the medical establishment”). What can I say, I had a crush on Vince Edwards when I was 10 and I never got over it.
He laughed and said, “I think House filled that niche.”
I responded that I didn’t mean he should remake Ben Casey or imitate House but I could see him play a character like that. I told him that he should find a character that is flawed but passionate and intense. Someone that inside is basically a good guy but far from prefect (okay, I am describing House). I said that very few actors can project as much passion and intensity with just their eyes as he could.
Scott responded with a gracious smile as he said, “Thank you, I appreciate that. So, no evil guys and no scoundrels.”
I went on to mention that I had seen Scott Cohen in an old NYPD Blue episode (which I think he did before he did GG) and he played a dirty cop but I could never get past thinking why the heck is Max acting like that?
I told Scott that I didn’t mean that he always has to play a character like Luke but he needs to honor that character since it will always be identified with him. That’s not saying that he is type cast. I brought up Sean Connery. I mean, I still identify him with James Bond but look at all of the roles he has played since then.
Scott responded, “So Luke will always be with me”. He didn’t seem upset about it. It was more like he was processing it as a fact.
He is very intense and dedicated to his work. (Yes, I know I am jumping around a bit but I am trying to cover everything.). Earlier in the conversation I asked him what motivated him to become an actor after his baseball career was over. I mentioned that I had read some place that he originally moved to LA to be a writer or director.
Scott quickly corrected me. He said he definitely intended to be an actor when he moved to LA (around 10 years ago). In fact, he had been an actor for some time in NY where he had begun his studies. He said after he gave up his ball career he went to Europe for a year (he didn’t expand on it). Anyway when he came back to the US, he decided to try acting. There was a girl involved in the decision. He was dating an actress and got hooked by running lines with her. No he didn’t tell me her name.
He said acting was kind of a natural draw for him. Both his mother and one of his sisters had acted and he stated that his family was always very literary. He admitted that in high school he wrote plays.
I asked him if he thought his plays were any good, He answered proudly that they were performed (I took that to mean that someone thought they were good.)
I asked him if he was still writing and he said no. He went on to explain that when he does something, he gives his all and now he is acting. He stated that, “I break my butt to give the best performance I can every single time.”
Scott explained that he had seen a lot an actors as talented as or even more talented than him give up before they made it. He said his biggest asset is his tenacity, he never gave up. He admitted that he had a handicap to overcome because he started acting late but he was determined and still is. He talked about how tough it is to go to audition after audition and never hear anything. He said the worse was to go to an audition and be told they loved you and would be talking with your agent. Then waiting for days to hear something only to have your agent call to say they changed their minds and went a different direction. That type of uncertainty and stress breaks a lot of talented people before they get a chance. I could tell he takes pride in the fact that he didn’t break.
He mentioned that it is not uncommon for him to put in around 70 hours a week on the set plus he does have his own production company to run. I didn’t get the name of his company but apparently everyone in Hollywood has a production company.
I did ask him to explain what a production company does. I kind of had an idea but I wasn’t sure. He said it finds properties (ideas) for movies or TV shows and pitches them to companies like WB Studios. If the studio likes the idea then the production company works to get the project financed and filmed. He explained that even a studio like Warner Bros only films about 15 movies a year so with so many production companies competing, it is tough.
At one point we discuss the change in the pace of the Gilmore Girls this season. I made the comment that maybe once this crappy story line is gone that the pace of the show will be more like before.
Scott’s response was immediate. He said that we (all of the fans) might as well get accustomed to the slower pace because it is here to stay. He stated that the pace the actors were forced to follow in the previous 6 years almost killed them. That Amy made them to perform EVERY SCENE over and over about 20 takes. He said that if a scene had 10 pages of dialogue that the all actors said word perfect except that one of them said “uh” instead of “oh”, they had to redo the entire scene.
He went on to explain that not only was it physically exhausting but it worn them down mentally. He said that you can’t imagine what it does to an actor to shoot the same scene over and over until you feel that you really nailed it only to be told to shoot it again. No explanations, no praise, no comments to indicate what they wanted from the actors other that doing it over and over again.
My take on this was that Amy pushed really hard and was not very forthcoming with praise.
He didn’t say anything overtly negative about Amy but my impression is that he is not sad that she is gone. I also surmised that Amy’s strict regime may be one of the reasons that Alexis does not want an eight year. She is just too tired of not having a life.
Well I think that is just about everything. It was after 2:30 PM when Cat (the intern) returned. Scott saw her and asked, “They need me?” She answered yes. Then he asked, “Makeup?” Again the answer was yes but I got the distinct impression that he hates makeup from his tone and body language.
Anyway, he walked me to my vehicle, told me he had a good time, and wished me well. He gave me a friendly hug which I immediately reciprocated (hey, if you had a chance to get your arms around Scott, would you hesitate?) Remembering what Lauren had said in an interview I took the opportunity to run my hands up and down it his back (seriously, this was my one shot and I was making the most of it). Lauren is right, his back is amazing.
I also accidentally brushed my cheek against the stubble of his beard during the hug. Well, maybe not so accidentally but at least I did not place my hands any place inappropriate (and of course I would never ever think of doing that!) His beard was much softer than I expected.
He then opened the car door for me (he is a gentleman) and helped me in (his hands are soft but strong). I couldn’t believe it was over, but I had to leave. He was really great and I will never forget it.
When I was explaining the EiF to him, he asked why I regarded the story of Lorelai and Christopher as futile. Was it because I wanted Lorelai with Luke? I replied honestly that it might be part of the reason but there was so much more to it.
At that point I let loose my diatribe on the character of Christopher and my inability to understand Lorelai's warm feelings for him. My rant included a list of all of the times that Christopher had embarrassed and/or failed both Lorelai and Rory (starting with his greeting in Christopher Returns - "Nice shirt. Take it off!") I shared with him my frustrations toward Lorelai because neither she nor any of the other Gilmores ever held Christopher accountable for his unconscionable behavior toward Rory. I admitted Lorelai's affection for Christopher never rang true to character for me because of the pain and disappointments that Chris had caused Rory over the years. I seem to remember stating to Scott that as far as I could see, Christopher’s only attribute seemed to be he had been trained in the social graces and had mastered the art of witty, light banner otherwise he was a pretty worthless human. I added that I have a very strong (and I consider rational) dislike for deadbeat parents whether they are mothers or fathers.
Something about Scott’s demeanor let me to believe that he too has very little tolerance for a deadbeat parent.
Oh, I just thought of more. As Scott walked me to my car, I begged him to give me a spoiler! He swore he knows nothing but I called him out on that saying, "You are currently filming episodes we won't see for almost a month!"
He laughed and swore that as soon as he finishes a scene, he erases if from his mind. I believed that is true.
During the lunch he admitted that he never watches the show and doesn't like to even talk about it in his spare time. He says it takes up so much of his life that he just needs to get away from it to stay sane.
I did ask him if he has worn the blue cap yet and he said no. I asked him if he knew when he might wear it again. He smiled and said, "When they give it to me to put on my head."
About Lauren, he did comment on that. When Scott stated that he had no idea why they took the story the direction they did, I said, "So it wasn't because you and Lauren didn't want scenes together."
He looked at me and asked, "What are you talking about?"
I explained that there are always these rumors that you and Lauren don't really like each other. He shook his head and said, "I don't know where this comes from." He went on to explain that he really likes Lauren and he respects her talent. He went on to say that they get along like brother and sister. They care for each other but admitted that sometimes they clash. He said that when that happens it's more like a flash and then it's over. He said considering the amount of time they spend together he thought they got along great.
