How did Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel stay awake during long Gilmore Girls filming days?

Everyone at some point dreamed of being an actor because their lives look fun and luxurious. Yet how many could handle the long filming days? Actors have been vocal about how tiresome it can be to film a popular show or big-budget movie, spending 13 to 14 hours a day reciting lines and getting into character.

Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore, spoke with the Hollywood Reporter in 2025 about how she and castmate/on-screen daughter, Alexis Bledel, who played Rory, managed to stay awake when their eyes felt heavy.

"Alexis and I, when we would get kind of loopy, would sing and sometimes we would sing the Minnie Riperton song, ‘Lovin’ You.’ I don’t know why; we would just sort of break into song to keep ourselves awake. We would get really punchy and silly," she told the publication. We know singing can bring all kinds of emotions, but singing to stay awake is something new.

"We were shooting 80 pages in eight days, so 10 pages a day with no hiatuses and no breaks, and we were doing 22 episodes," said series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. "I don’t know how we did it. We had so little time and so little money that by Christmas, when I think we would get a week off, Lauren and Alexis’ eyes were so huge for lack of sleep and from the constant workload that I kind of thought they were going to kill me."

Gilmore Girls became a comfort show for many viewers who tuned in every week to get a dose of Lorelai and Rory's lives in Stars Hollow. Knowing that everyone on set worked tirelessly to provide the best content for fans is part of why the series will always hold a special place in their hearts.