How Old Are the Young Characters (& Actors) in Gilmore Girls?

The mother-daughter pairing of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls is one of the most appreciated relationships established on television. The series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, was adored for introducing viewers to Stars Hollow, a small town with a wealth of quirky characters.

A question that seems to be on the minds of many fans is: How old were the younger characters when the show began — and how do those ages stack up against the actors who played them? It’s no secret that many TV shows have actors much older than their characters, and Gilmore Girls was no exception. Let’s dig into the real ages of the actors and their characters’ ages over the course of the show.

Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel)

Age of Character in Season 1 (2000): 16

Character Age During Final Season (2007): 23

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 19

Actor’s Age in Final Season: 26

The show’s heart, Rory starts out as a 16-year-old high school student. Alexis Bledel, who was 19 when cast, is one of the younger actors to portray a teen role. At the end of the series, Rory is 23, and Bledel is 26.

Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki)

Age of Character on Season 1: 16-17

Character Age at Time of Last Appearance (Season 5): 23

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 18

Age of actor at the time of final appearance: 23

Rory’s first boyfriend, Dean Forester, was 16 or 17 at the start of the series. Cast at 18, Jared Padalecki had a relatively small age gap between himself and his character. He departed the program in Season 5, by which time, his character was 23, and so was Padalecki.

Lane Kim (Keiko Agena)

Character Age in Season 1: 16

Final Season Character Age: 22-23

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 26

Actor’s Age in Final Season: 33

Rory’s closest friend, Lane Kim, was also 16 when the series began. The only problem: Her actress, Keiko Agena, was 26 at the time. By the end of Gilmore Girls, Lane was 22 or 23, but Agena was 33, a decade older than her character.

Tristan Dugray (Chad Michael Murray)

Character Age in Season 1: 16-17

Character Age at Last Appearance: 18

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 19

Age of Actor at the Time of His Last Appearance: 20

Tristan, Rory’s Chilton classmate and flirtatious foe, was about 16 or 17. Chad Michael Murray was 19 at the time. His most recent turn was in Season 2, when his character was roughly 18, while Murray was 20.

Paris Geller (Liza Weil)

Character Age in Season 1: 16

Current Age of Character in the Final Season: 23

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 23

The actor’s age at the final season: 30

In the first season, Rory’s academic rival and eventual best friend Paris Geller was 16. Liza Weil, on the other hand, was 23 when it originally aired. By the time the series concluded, Paris was 23 , and Weil was 30.

Louise Grant (Teal Redmann)

Character Age in Season 1: 16

Age of Character at Last Appearance: 20

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 18

Age of Actor at Time of Last Appearance: 22

Gilmore Girls’ first season featured Paris’ friend Louise, who was 16. Teal Redmann was cast when she was 18. Her last appearance came in Season 4 when Louise (played by Redmann when she was about 20) was 20.

Madeline Lynn (Shelly Cole)

Character Age in Season 1: 16

Age of Character at Last Appearance: 20

Actor’s Age in Season 1: 25

Age of Actor in Last Appearance: 29

Madeline, another of Paris’ friends, was 16 in Season 1, though Shelly Cole was 25 when she played the part. By the time of her final appearance in Season 4, Madeline was 20, and Cole nearly 30.

Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia)

Character Age in Season 2 (First Appearance): 18

Age of Character on Final Appearance: 23

Actor’s Age in Season 2: 24

Actor’s Age at Time of Final Appearance: 29

Rory’s second boyfriend, Jess Mariano, was 18 when he made his Gilmore Girls debut. But Milo Ventimiglia was 24 when he was cast. By the time of his last appearance in Season 6, Jess was 23; Ventimiglia was 29.

Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry)

Character Age in Season 5 (First Appearance): 22

Character’s Age in Final Season: 25

Actor’s Age in Season 5: 28

Actor’s Age During Last Season: 30

Logan, Rory’s college boyfriend, was 22 when he was introduced in Season 5. Matt Czuchry, on the other hand, was 28 then. When Gilmore Girls wrapped, Logan was 25, Czuchry 30.

Final Thoughts

As with many TV shows, Gilmore Girls frequently cast older actors as high schoolers — with some actors being a decade older than their on-screen counterparts. While some, including Alexis Bledel and Jared Padalecki, were age-appropriate for their characters, others had a wider age gap, including Lane’s Keiko Agena and Madeline’s Shelly Cole.

Despite those differences, the actors’ performances seemed real, making Gilmore Girls a timeless show that retains its power to enthrall viewers nearly 20 years after it premiered.