Gilmore Girls Documentary Filmmakers on What to Expect from ‘Drink Coffee, Talk Fast’

It’s been 25 years since the premiere of the iconic, feel-good series, Gilmore Girls. To celebrate that milestone, documentary filmmakers Meghna Balakumar and Kevin Konrad Hanna are directing a feature-length documentary with new in-depth interviews with cast members and crew.

The documentary is titled Drink Coffee, Talk Fast (formerly Searching for Stars Hollow), and along with interviews, it will include commentary, critique, and cultural analysis.

I spoke with Balakumar and Hanna about what we can expect from the upcoming documentary, whether more interviews from key cast members would be announced, and what inspired them to create this project.

On which cast members will be featured in the documentary:

While interviews with several key cast members have been announced, including Kelly Bishop, Jared Padalecki, Keiko Agena, Emily Kuroda, and Chad Michael Murray, many fans are wondering if there will be interviews with Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, or creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. 

“I mean, never say never,” Hanna said. “There’s conversations that are still happening. We have more cast members that we have yet to announce, and, you know, we’d love to talk to everybody who wants to be interviewed.”

“We do want to sit down and talk to everybody, but whether we’re interviewing them or not, we’re going to have a fairly complete portrait of everybody. We have so much amazing archival footage that’s never been seen before, so we’re going to see behind the scenes of everybody in their elements,” Hanna said.

“So, whether it’s Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, or Scott Patterson, their presence — everyone’s presence — is going to be felt throughout this documentary, and it’ll only be added to with additional interviews,” he continued. “But where we are right now, this is gonna be a really complete portrait of the entire cast and all the creators of the show.”

The inspiration behind Drink Coffee, Talk Fast:

Balakumar said that the inspiration for the documentary “came from the new generation.”

“Seeing that this show that was made 25 years ago has carried over, and these kids who have such short attention spans still like this show that’s 22 episodes a season, an hour-long episode, and they’re captivated, and they’re in it, and I think that is so fascinating and beautiful in a time where everything feels like it’s moving so fast,” Balakumar said.

“I was like, what is it? What about Gilmore Girls is capturing the new generation, you know? Because I don’t see any other show having a second life the same way Gilmore Girls does, and especially going to number one once a year during the fall, and having that kind of staying power. It’s pretty insane,” Balakumar continued.

“How many shows are like that, where you can actually have two generations, sometimes three generations, all watch together and relate to each other through the lens of the show? And so it was easy for us to say, well, we want to make a documentary about something that we love, but I think the second hook, the second point, came from this intergenerational aspect of it,” Hanna added. “The really interesting aspect of it is that legacies are relating to this.” 

“The archetypes are timeless. The mother-daughter relationships. The found family aspect is huge, the fact that there are so many people in Rory’s life,” Hanna said. “Rory didn’t have a traditional upbringing, but she had a found family, and she had all these misfits and weirdos who helped raise her, and I think a lot of people love that aspect of it. A lot of people love going to a place that’s cozy, comfortable, and safe. And while there is drama in Stars Hollow, it’s still a safe space.”

Some surprising facts about Gilmore Girls:

Balakumar and Hanna also shared a few tidbits they’ve learned so far in their research for the documentary. For instance, one of the things that Balakhumar said surprised her most was that Gilmore Girls was initially funded by a family-friendly programming initiative.

There are also fun details about casting, including the fact that Ryan Gosling once auditioned for the show and that Lorelai was nearly played by Sherilynn Fenn instead of Lauren Graham.

On discussions about that final season:

The documentary will also dive into the way things changed for the final season of Gilmore Girls, when Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino were no longer a part of it. 

“Nobody tiptoed around it,” Hanna confirmed. “When we sit down with the cast, writers, everybody, and they talk about Season 7, they throw it under the bus. They talk about what happened behind the scenes, they talk about what the end results were, and what that did for everyone on set, and what that meant going forward.”

How the Kickstarter campaign could help bring in iconic music:

As Balakumar and Hanna continue working on the documentary, they’re hoping for support from their Kickstarter campaign, which Hanna says could help with the scope of the project.

“This was always going to be an excellent documentary, but if the budget increases, it’ll just kind of open things up for us to be able to go to more people, travel to more places, and just generally improve aspects of the production value,” Hanna said.

Music, in particular, is a big part of that. 

“I would really like to license the Gilmore “La La La’s,” and that’s gonna cost a lot of money,” Balakumar said. “Those elements are actually just so important to evoke this vibe, because I think the music is just as much a part of Gilmore Girls — I would say it is as important as the dialogue in the show.”

“The music by Sam Phillips, and when they brought in the Bangals, and Grant Lee Phillips, the troubadour, all of that adds to creating this special aesthetic that it has,” Balakumar added.

On how you can see additional interview footage:

Hanna said the documentary is likely to come out next summer, though there’s no confirmed date yet. While fans wait, however, they can support the Kickstarter campaign and get access to extra content. 

“We have over 100 hours of cast and crew interviews. We have way more than that of fans and behind-the-scenes and conventions and all that kind of stuff, and we’re making a 90-minute documentary. So these incredible stories often spill over,” Hanna said.

“So what we’re doing as part of the Kickstarter, is every month, we’re going to bust out these little mini-documentaries about specific subjects that we like and that we found good stories about, and just focus on those for every month until the documentary is done,” he added. “I’m really excited about that.”

“We have to be true to the story we’re telling and keep it cohesive for the documentary, but there’s so many good sidebars that really just showcase these cast personalities and, like, how they’re not that far off from the characters themselves in a lot of ways,” Balakumar said. “Sally Struthers, oh my gosh, she’s just got stories on stories on stories. She was a riot and a treasure. I think that’s probably one of my favorite interviews.”

Balakumar also said she was excited to share the interview with Keiko Agena and Emily Kuroda, who play Lane Kim and Mrs. Kim. 

“Lane is who I related to most watching the show,” Balakumar said. “And [Keiko Agena] has some really interesting things to say about Asian culture and Asian identity that I don’t know if we’ll make into the film. Hopefully parts of it, but I really want to just dive deeper into those moments.”

Why the title of the documentary was changed:

When the Gilmore Girls documentary was originally announced, its title was Searching for Stars Hollow. Balakumar and Hanna explained why the title has since been changed to Drink Coffee, Talk Fast. 

“We just wanted it to be more documentary-focused, and I think there were a lot of people drawing conclusions about Stars Hollow specifically, like, searching for Stars Hollow, and this speaks more to the general vibe and the style of the show,” Balakumar explained. “And what I really love about Drink Coffee, Talk Fast is, if you know, you know. Almost like this secret Gilmore Girls fan password, where if you see that, you immediately know this is about Gilmore Girls. And I really love that about it.”

You find out more about Drink Coffee, Talk Fast and support the Kickstarter campaign for the documentary here. 

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