What happened to Alexis Bledel, Rory on 'Gilmore Girls'?

by Jessica Gomez

An enviable mother-daughter relationship and intelligent, quick-witted and comical dialogue, accompanied by a good dose of small-town intricacies, turned Gilmore Girls into a successful series and its protagonists, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore, into two cult actresses.

The series aired from 2000 to 2007 and, at just eighteen years old, Alexis Bledel won the public's affection with her portrayal of Rory, the daughter of the lucky dyad, a brilliant young woman, a compulsive reader and more responsible and emotionally stable than her own mother , who provided the counterpoint while still sharing brilliance.

The series, which is still available today through streaming platforms, was a ratings phenomenon and continues to garner viewers around the world.

During the series' run, Bledel appeared in films that attempted to distance her from the role that made her famous, such as Sin City and One for All (both 2005), but it became very difficult for the public to associate her with a role other than that of the model daughter.

In 2016, a Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls was made, where she reprised the character in four episodes that explored Rory's adult life and which featured much of the original cast, but that same year she surprised by joining the cast of The Handmaid's Tale as Emily Malek , an academic whose relationship with her girlfriend is cut short when the totalitarian regime of Gilead is established. This role earned her an Emmy in 2017 for best guest actress in a drama series.

In recent years, however, she has chosen to keep a low profile. She announced her departure from The Handmaid's Tale in 2022 , after four seasons, without explaining the reason for her departure from the series, and has not been involved in any new projects since.

That same year (2022) , she separated from her husband, fellow actor Vincent Kartheiser, whom she married in 2014 and with whom she has a son whose identity has always been closely guarded from the media. Her very private lifestyle contrasts with that of other stars of her generation, reinforcing her image as an "under-the-radar" actress, yet beloved by her fans, who continue to eagerly await her next step.