Gilmore Girls star Milo Ventimiglia explains why Rory and Jess weren't right for each other. Premiering in 2000, the comedy-drama series followed the lives of Rory Gilmore and her 30-something single mother Lorelai in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Airing for seven seasons, the series earned cult classic status as it garnered a large fan following, eventually being revived on Netflix with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016. Often exploring the romantic lives of Rory and her mother, the teen had three boyfriends throughout the series; Dean, Logan, and Jess, the latter of whom proved divisive among fans.
Now, in an interview with InStyle Magazine, Gilmore Girls star Milo Ventimiglia admits why Rory and Jess didn't work. Ventimiglia explains that, because of Jess' troubled adolescence, he was not ready for a relationship. Check out what he said below:
“Jess was a child...I think Jess had a lot of life to live. And I don't think he was quite set up the best way in his younger years — not having a father, not having a parent. He had to find his way on his own a little bit. I think he got to it a little quicker, just a place of ... acceptance of who he was, and what he wanted to be, and who he wanted to be around.”
Why Jess & Rory’s Relationship Didn’t Work (Even In AYITL)
The Jess introduced in Gilmore Girls season 2 was drastically different from later seasons, as he was a rebellious, arrogant teen, sent to live with his uncle Luke after being kicked out of his home. Rory and Jess' relationship was doomed from the start, as it began with her cheating on Dean, furthering Jess' bad boy reputation. Although it was clear Rory and Jess were more compatible for each other, with similar interests including literature and music connecting them, Dean was always in the background as someone for Jess to compare himself to.
Their relationship was further complicated by the fact that Lorelai and Rory's grandparents, Emily and Richard, did not like Jess or believe he was up to Rory's standards. Gilmore Girls saw Rory as a bright and promising teen on a path towards an Ivy League school, while Jess was written off by both Luke and Lorelai as a trouble-maker. He started to believe he wasn't boyfriend material to Rory, and struggled to open up to her. Although Lorelai did eventually come around to the two of them dating, Jess ultimately left Stars Hollow to find himself and figure his life out, breaking up with Rory in the process.
Jess would return in Gilmore Girls season 6, proving himself to be a changed man. Now mature, independent, and the author of a successful novel, he and Rory swapped places, as he began to piece his life together while hers began to fall apart after dropping out of Yale. In Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Rory, originally the more promising of the pair, still was somewhat lost, as she struggled to move up in her journalism career, with Jess now the one guiding her, offering advice. It was clear Jess still had feelings for Rory, though it seemed the two were better off as friends, and timing failed them again.
Source: InStyle Magazine