TV

Jill Brennan-Lincoln played two different roles on 'Gilmore Girls,' and shares an embarrassing story about her first audition to play a teacher on the pilot.

Published on March 25, 2023

2 min read

Jill Brennan-Lincoln is one of the rare Gilmore Girls actors who played more than one role on the show. Brennan played the teacher, Mrs. Traister, in the pilot. Later, she played Carrie Duncan. Brennan-Lincoln was surprised to be called back for a different role, but even more surprised by her wardrobe malfunction in her first Gilmore Girls audition. 

Brennan-Lincoln was a guest on Scott Patterson’s I Am All In podcast on March 15 to discuss her dual roles on Gilmore Girls. Telling the story of her first audition, she revealed just how much she inadvertently revealed. 

Jill Brennan-Lincoln thought about Mrs. Traister’s wardrobe on ‘Gilmore Girls’

In the Gilmore Girls pilot, you only see Mrs. Traister give Rory (Alexis Bledel)’s Chilton class a Huckleberry Finn assignment. Brennan-Lincoln said she imagined Mrs. Traister was a teacher who showed off a little too much.

“It’s funny, my husband and I were talking, you know how when you worked a long time, if you have to audition quickly, you have a couple of characters in your back pocket that you play with,” Brennan-Lincoln said on I Am All In. “But I read it and I thought it was hysterical because I just thought she was so unaware of how possibly disgusting she was, and overt she was. I thought the jokes were great so I kept practicing how I might lean over when I was auditioning and reveal my cleavage because I was sure that’s who she was.”

Jill Brennan-Lincoln’s wardrobe revealed a little too much at her ‘Gilmore Girls’ audition

When Brennan-Lincoln read for the role of Mrs. Traister on Gilmore Girls, she played up her idea of a sleazy teacher. However, her blouse did not exactly cooperate. 

“When I got into the audition, I actually did that and the button popped open on my shirt,” Brennan-Lincoln said. “And I just was like all there and everybody cracked up. And I was like oh, this went well today.”

More audition memories 

Brennan-Lincoln shared more memories of her Gilmore Girls audition. They weren’t as scandalous as the wardrobe malfunction though. 

I was this teacher and I came in and I will never forget because it was your pilot. As all pilots do, it ran a little late and I was waiting. And I had heard, I was in New York at the time and I had done a play with Ed Herrmann. So I heard he was in it, I was like oh, must be good. I was just a small part, I showed up. I’m not sure if I found out Rory was going to be from Houston and I was from Houston, I was sitting outside. It was great but then I played this small teacher and then I came in as crazy Carrie. I guess the teacher had just really had it, really went a different direction with Barry and everything. But it was fun. I was thrilled to get to come back for crazy Carrie.

Jill Brenann-Lincoln, I Am All In, 3/15/23

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