Gen Z is comfort-watching ‘Gilmore Girls.’ Milo Ventimiglia thinks he knows…
More than 20 years after Gilmore Girls first aired, Milo Ventimiglia is still fielding opinions about his character, Jess Mariano. Only now, they’re coming from a new viewers.Thanks to streaming (and, in many instances, their dad and mom’ advice), Gen Z has adopted the beloved early-2000s sequence as consolation viewing. Ventimiglia’s brooding e book lover with a mushy spot for Rory Gilmore has turn into, as soon as again, a cultural touchstone.Ventimiglia is each amused and impressed by the present’s longevity.“I think it’s rad,” he tells Yahoo. “First of all, it shows the talent of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino in writing an evergreen show. … It’s still current and topical for today.”He sees the enduring attraction not in the love triangles or witty banter, however in the quieter themes that still resonate.“For any of the smash-and-grab, headline-grabbing, salacious television or films out there that are blatantly trying to get attention through poor behavior — Gilmore was a bit of a wholesome show,” he says. “It had its glory, had its struggles, but the messaging behind it about the connection between a mother and a daughter is important. The messaging behind, ‘Hey, strive to do something with your life,’ like higher education.”The nostalgia might be surreal at instances. Fans often ask him to recite traces from reminiscence — including Jess’s well-known quip about Rory dropping out of Yale — one thing he admits is simpler said than accomplished after all this time.“They’re like, ‘You said it 24 years ago,’” he laughs. “I’m like, ‘You say something from 24 years ago that you said’ — and they can’t do it.”Still, he embraces the renewed love for the present and what it represents.“That idea of a young woman being educated, reading, being treated well, being treated with respect — I think those are things that are great to put in the world,” Ventimiglia continues. “And the quirkiness of the show — the Kirks of the town, everybody in the town is just their own character.”Ultimately, “I think it’s wonderful that it’s still around and people — Gen Z-ers — are embracing it the way they do,” Ventimiglia says. He pauses, then adds with a smile, “And I’m sorry I don’t look like I used to. But I was 24 then, and I’m 48 now.”While Gilmore Girls might outline a sure chapter of Ventimiglia’s profession, his latest position displays the place he is now: older, and more reflective.In I Can Only Imagine 2, in theaters on Feb. 20, Ventimiglia performs real-life Christian musician Tim Timmons, who joins MercyMe frontman Bart Millard (John Michael Finley) on tour during a sophisticated interval in Millard’s life. As Bart grapples with fame, household tensions and unresolved pain, Tim’s presence — and his personal personal struggles — push him towards therapeutic.For Ventimiglia, the attraction was instant if not a little bit daunting.The position required intensive prep, including vocal teaching and relearning guitar with direct assist from the real Timmons himself.“I had the real Timmons sending me videos of how to play his music, and he was wonderful,” Ventimiglia says.“I think the only time in my history of being in front of the camera in 30 years — this is the third real human being that I played, and the other two were deceased,” he says. “So it was nice to be like, ‘Hey Tim, I got a question.’”At its core, the movie isn’t just about music or fame, however about male friendship and emotional vulnerability. Ventimiglia believes audiences are more and more prepared for that openness.“I think that’s where we are these days,” he says. “I believe we always relied on the strength of other males after we have been having our robust moments. But now, thank goodness, we’re in a second the place we’re capable of overtly speak about the struggles and overtly speak about issues that are impacting us.”The movie also wrestles with a query that feels particularly related for somebody who has skilled the cyclical highs of a decades-long profession: What occurs after you obtain the dream? When I ask if that’s one thing he’s grappled with, Ventimiglia says, “Very much so.”Ventimiglia relearned easy methods to play the guitar to painting as Tim Timmons in I Can Only Imagine 2. (Jake Giles Netter/Lionsgate)“Even my wife — she tells me, ‘How much is enough for you?’ And I’ve had to stop and think, What do I really need? Roof over my head, clothes on my back, safety for my family, things like that,” he replies.Like many actors, the former This Is Us star admits the pursuit of inventive progress not often stops, even after major success.“I think we as artists are constantly trying to evolve and grow and put something new into the world that will inspire people,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of moments where the business of Hollywood upsets the apple cart and takes the joy away from the creative of Hollywood. But here I am. So I’m still duking it out, doing what I can.”What retains him going, he says, is simple: “I enjoy it too much.”
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