Interview with Lauren Graham
The quality and/or trait I most admire in my closest friend is:
A sense of humor.
My friends can always count on me to:
Cook good butterscotch brownies.
The best concert I ever went to was:
The first concert I ever went to. That was Pat Benatar.
I never leave home without:
A book to read if things get boring.
If I could step into the shoes of any rock star for a day it would be:
Madonna.
I'm completely obsessed with:
Mad Cow Disease.
Out of all the characters on The WB I most identify with:
Alexis' character, Rory. Growing up I was always a bookish, kind of shy kid.
If we peeked in your fridge we would find:
You'd find Myoplex shakes and those little eye patches that you can freeze. I don't use them, but I leave them in my fridge. It makes me feel very Hollywood.
The following are fun facts about Lauren. Some you may know, some you may not, and some you wish you never did.
01. She once contemplated getting her navel pierced.
02. She decided against it because it was "skanky".
03. She, also, contemplated getting a tattoo of a shamrock.
04. She decided against it when she saw Gilmore Girls co-star Alexis Bledel's reaction.
05. Playboy offered her money to pose nude in their magazine. She declined.
06. She calls her father "The President of Chocolate" and "The King of Chocolate"
07. He is actually the president of the Chocolate Makers Association.
08. She is a self-proclaimed " musical freak". (Fan of musicals).
09. She believes that she is in the entertainment business because of the musical "Funny Girl".
10. She loves horses and horseback riding.
11. She has problems finishing things.
12. She adores David Letterman.
13. She has a half brother and 2 half sisters.
14. Blood makes her squeamish.
15. She was Rosie O'Donnell's last guest.
51 THINGS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT LAUREN
1. Lauren always wanted to have a dog. Her dream came true in a German Shepherd named Hannah.
2. If you looked in Lauren's fridge, "You'd find Myoplex shakes and those little eye patches that you can freeze. I don't use them, but I leave them in my fridge. It makes me feel very Hollywood."
3. Lauren says that if she could step into the shoes of any rock star for a day, it would be "Madonna."
4. Lauren says the best concert she ever went to was "the first concert I ever went to. That was Pat Benatar."
5. Lauren says that she never leaves home without "a book to read if things get boring."
6. When asked which Gilmore Girl character she identified most with, Lauren responded "Alexis (Bledel's) character, Rory. Growing up I was always a bookish, kind of shy kid."
7. Lauren says that her friends can always count on her to "cook good butterscotch brownies."
8. Lauren says that she is in the entertaining buisness because of the musical Funny Girl.
9. When she first moved to Los Angeles in 1995, Lauren became a waitress.
10. Lauren considered being a jockey when she was in Middle School.
11. Lauren worked as a camp counselor for many years.
12. The last movie she was in was The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel.
13. Lauren guest-starred on 3rd Rock From the Sun before landing her role on Gilmore Girls.
14. Lauren's first appearance in a feature was Nightwatcher.
15. Lauren's natural hair color is brunette; it is also naturally curly, so she gets it straightened.
16. Lauren says, "I've made out more this season on a family-friendly show than ever in my actual life."
17. The site of blood makes her sick.
18. Lauren has three half-siblings.
19. Lauren lists David Letterman as a person she admires. She's appeared as a guest on his show several times.
20. Lauren is a big-time procrastinator; she likes starting things, but not finishing them.
21. Lauren enjoys attending musicals.
22. Lauren's father is the president of the Chocolate Makers Association. She says, "Some people think my father was a spy, because of working for that government agency in Vietnam, but he can't find his car keys, much less keep a national secret."
23. Lauren considered getting a shamrock tattoo, as a shout-out to her Irish heritage.
24. Lauren has considered getting her belly-button pierced, but as of yet, hasn't worked up the courage.
25. Lauren and former flame, Friends star Matthew Perry, have been spotted around town together as of late. The pair have released a press statement that they are just friends, and not an item. Lauren is reportedly still dating Marc Blucas of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame.
26. Lauren dated Friends star Matthew Perry briefly in 2002.
27. Lauren is reportedly paid $50,000 per episode of Gilmore Girls. Though it sounds like a lot, this is on the lower end of pay for one-hour dramas.
28. Her parents divorced when she was five years old.
29. Lauren graduated from Langley High School.
30. She is 5'9" tall.
31. Lauren says, "I'm nice, and I show up on time."
32. Lauren considers her face to be that of "an Irish peasant-farmer."
33. On her what her normal work-out routine is, Lauren says, "a random combination of pilates, running, kickboxing, and whining."
34. Lauren says, "Growing up an only child with a single parent is probably why I'm an actor."
35. She skipped kindergarten and says "that's why I don't know how to share."
36. Lauren refers to actor Benjamin Bratt (with whom she worked on Law & Order) as "Mr. Superhottie."
37. Lauren made her stage debut in her elementary school's production of Paul Revere.
38. Lauren's grandparents thought she should be on Friends, which ironically was on opposite of her show, Gilmore Girls.
39. Lauren says, "If I had a normal job and had been moving up, I'd be management level now."
40. Lauren graduated from Barnard College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and from Southern Methodist University in 1992 with a master's degree in acting.
41. Although she was born in Hawaii, Lauren grew up in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.
42. Lauren holds a Master's Degree in Acting from Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts, Division of Theatre in Dallas, Texas.
43. Lauren graduated high school in 1985.
44. Lauren has three siblings; two are from her father, a brother and sister; and one from her mother. The oldest is 16 years younger than her.
45. Lauren started her own production company in 2003 called Good Game.
46. Lauren is 5'9" tall.
47. Lauren mentioned in an interview that she loves taking care of her little cousins.
48. Lauren had a recurring role on Caroline in the City at the same time as Mark Feuerstein, both playing love interests of the leads. NBC later cast them together in Feuerstein's short-lived vehicle Conrad Bloom.
49. Lauren holds a Bachelor's Degree in English from Barnard College in New York City (an independent college for women affiliated with Columbia University).
50. Lauren guest-starred in almost every popular sitcom out there before finally landing the full-time role of Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls.
51. Lauren lists Toronto as her "second home."
I'd like to meet:
"I'm super low maintenance. I, uh, I go to great lengths to do as little as I can, and then I end up, like, feeling bad because I do not do very much in my regular life."
-Lauren Graham
"These days I have to be extra nice in stores. It never fails that whenever I look as bad as I can possibly look or I am sort of cranky because the store is out of something, that is precisely the time when someone will recognize me and say: 'I really like your show.'"
-Lauren Graham
Lauren Graham Quiz!! See how well you really know her!!!CLICK on the link below or PASTE it into your browser.
http://www.quizyourfriends.com/yourquiz.php?quizname=0512040
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Movies:
Lauren Graham Awards:
Golden Globe
2001 Best Actress - Television Drama Gilmore Girls
Screen Actors Guild
2001 Best Actress in a Drama Series Gilmore Girls
2000 Best Actress in a Drama Series Gilmore Girls
Lauren Graham Filmography:
Actor
2005 The Pacifier
2005 The Moguls
2004 Lucky 13
2004 Seeing Other People
2003 Bad Santa
2001 Sweet November
2000 M.Y.O.B.
1999 Dill Scallion
1998 Nightwatch
1998 One True Thing
1998 Confessions of a Sexist Pig
1998 Conrad Bloom
Television:
Lauren Graham: One Hot Mama
The show may be called The Gilmore Girls, but compared with her pouty-mouthed pubescent WB costars, Lauren Graham, at 32, is positively ancient.
Call her a late bloomer. As an English major at Barnard, she decided to pass on the waitress route to acting and went straight to drama grad school at Dallas' SMU.
Glamour girls: Playing mom to Alexis Bledel on the WB.
Then came the barrage of bit parts and near breaks: A recurring role as Richard's annoyingly perky girlfriend in Caroline in the City, guest spots on NewsRadio and Law & Order and full-time roles in short-lived shows--Good Company, Townies, Conrad Bloom, M.Y.O.B.
Now, it looks like Graham's found a show with sticking power--Gilmore Girls is a critical favorite for fall. And though her Lorelai Gilmore is twice the age of her onscreen daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), she's one hip mama, with a penchant for Macy Gray CDs and mood-enhancing lipgloss.
And next year, Graham costars with Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in Sweet November, in which a hot and heavy scene between Graham and Reeves guarantees to boost her PG-13 rating.
Which got us to wondering...
What was it like playing tonsil hockey with Keanu? "The opening scene is people having raucous and impersonal sex. I'm naked, he's naked, we're naked together. I'm not sure you'll see certain things on camera, but it was really funny. We had just met the day before, and the first thing we shot was the sex scene. We tried to shoot with stuff on, but they were seeing underwear on the side--so we shot naked."
Gee, naked with Keanu Reeves--sounds tough. "I can't explain how nice and mellow he is. It's just as weird for him--and he's famous, so it's probably weirder. It's really an out-of-body experience. You have to trust the director."
She also looks pretty hot on Gilmore Girls. Does she think she'd be that hip as a mom? "I don't know. One of the things I like about the show is it redefines the idea of what it is to be a mother--which at its most basic level is to take care of a child. It doesn't mean you have to look like the ladies in the Lysol commercials."
One that got away: With Jenna Elfman and Molly Ringwald in 1996's Townies.
Would she ever attempt single momhood? "Oh, God, I was raised by my dad, so I know how hard it is. I hope I won't have to do that, because it's rough."
Does she dread family dinners with the folks as much as Lorelai does? "No. The family dinners on this show become a sore point, because I've lost touch with my parents. But they're helping me out with money. That always makes family relationships tough. I enjoy dinners with my daddy, and, um, it's not quite as bad as it is there."
She's a caffeine addict on the show. Does she actually guzzle that much coffee while she works? "I definitely drink a huge amount of coffee--a good three store-bought coffees a day. At one point, because I had so much, they started giving me decaf [on the show]. It was not my request, but I think they were nervous about where things were headed if the caffeine continued."
Her love interest on the show, Scott Patterson, is pretty sexy. Who else would be her ideal leading man? "I don't know. I wouldn't pick anybody from 'N Sync. I love Jeff Bridges. I like guys who have some gravity and look like they can ride a horse."
Um, a horse? "Yeah. It's not a requirement. I just like that rugged look."
--Lia Haberman
