Gilmore Girls star reveals one thing that was "really hard" about working on the beloved show

Melissa McCarthy may be more known for her film roles in Bridesmaids and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but the actor's breakthrough role came on the small screen as she played Sookie St James in Gilmore Girls.

The actor appeared in all seven seasons and 153 episodes of the beloved comedy-drama between 2000 and 2007, before reprising her role in the 2016 sequel series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Though McCarthy is extremely fond of her work on the popular series, she did reveal to Variety that getting to grips with Amy Sherman-Palladino's dialogue proved to be challenging despite lots of preparation.

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"It's good training, I tell you that," she said. "It was really hard. But to me, that was normal, because it was my first show. So I was like, 'Oh, our scripts are 93 pages, and you can't change a contraction, even if you get them that morning and it's a 10-page oner.

"And that's just what it was. I love that she [Sherman-Palladino] had her own style, and I love that she built that world. I love that she fought for it, because a woman running that show at that time, I think you kind of had to be like, 'It's my way or the highway.'"

"I think she had to probably fight to keep it the way she wanted to. And I'm glad she did, because it stood the test of time. People really take ownership of that show," added the star, who has also appeared in Spy and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Despite the original series ending nearly two decades ago, it has remained popular with viewers over the years, with a new generation of audiences being fascinated by the story of the Gilmore family.

"The fact that they keep rewatching it. I'm like, 'Really?'" said McCarthy. "When something catches like that, there's no rhyme or reason. You have to just love it. I mean, I'm always shocked at all the 'Gilmore' comments when I'm out."

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"But it is nice. And I think we all are very aware of that, or I hope so. But when something catches like that, like 'That's my comfort show,' or, 'That's what I watch going to sleep' - what a thing to get to do something that gives people comfort like that."

While there are no concrete plans to do another sequel series, it has been reported that HBO is developing a documentary that will honour the show's legacy, with stars such as Lauren Graham expected to make an appearance.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.