Milo Ventimiglia.Photo: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
More than 20 years afterGilmore Girlspremiered,Milo Ventimigliais standing his ground in the Team Dean vs. Team Jess debate.
On Monday’sThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Ventimiglia, who played bad boy Jess Mariano on the CW series, reaffirmed his Team Dean loyalty when hepaid tribute to costarJared Padalecki’s character, Dean Forester.
During the interview, Ventimiglia, 43, revealed a handwritten note that he had displayed in his home, reading, “I [heart] DEAN 4 EVER.”
Padalecki debuted on the first season ofGilmore Girlsin 2000 as Dean, the first boyfriend of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). Ventimiglia joined the show in season 2 as Jess, who also vied for Rory’s heart. Later, Matt Czuchry’s Logan Huntzberger was introduced as Rory’s college boyfriend. Thus, the Team Dean vs. Jess vs. Logan debate began among fans.
Milo Ventimiglia as Jess (L) and Jared Padalecki as Dean onGilmore Girls.Warner Bros. (2)
Jared Padalecki and Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls.Scott Garfield/Warner Bros./Getty
“Not at all, Jared and I are really good friends,” Ventimiglia said, revealing that he made the sign for a photo op and decided to keep it.
“After I made it I just said, ‘Well, let me just hang on to this ‘cause this is cool.’ And I literally just kind of stuck it right onto my Emmy notification that was hanging on my wall,” said Ventimiglia.
Back in 2018, Ventimigliarevealed where he stoodon the debate, telling Bustle, “That’s the crazy part, I was totally Team Dean. I still am Team Dean.”
“I don’t dream too far from the script,” he said when asked who Rory belongs with. “I look at the script and I accept this is what the script is, and [use] my imagination to get to the moments I need to as an actor. But when I left the show, I never really thought about where Jess went.”
Milo Ventimiglia and Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls.Warner Bros./Everett
Both Jess and Dean appeared throughout the series, which ran for seven seasons until its finale in 2007. They also reunited with the rest of the cast for the 2016 Netflix miniseriesGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.Netflix
The sequel series ended with a massive cliffhanger, with Rory revealing she is pregnant — and sparking a whole new debate over the identity of the father.
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Ventimiglia revealed in 2017, though, that heknows who’snotthe father.
“Just so you know, it’s not Jess’ kid,” he said, breaking the news during a panel at London’s Heroes & Villains Fan Fest, according toToday. “I’m very happy that the fans and the audience got those last four episodes. They should be happy with that.”
source: people.com
