Not Melissa McCarthy, but this actress first played Sookie in Gilmore Girls

The CW series Gilmore Girls partly owes its success to the perfectly cast actors who play their characters with utmost conviction.

From Alexis Bledel to Lauren Graham to Keiko Agena, the show's cast was perfect. However, you would be surprised to know that actress Melissa McCarthy was not the first choice to play Sookie St. James, a main character and Lorelai's best friend.

American actress and comedian Alex Borstein was at first cast as Sookie, and she even appeared in an unaired pilot episode. Borstein is best known as a voice actor for Lois, the Griffin matriarch in the long-running animated series Family Guy.

While Borstein could not appear as Sookie in Amy Sherman-Palladino's Gilmore Girls, the latter was aware of her acting chops and cast her as Midge's sardonic manager, Susie Myerson, in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which won her two well-deserved Emmy awards

More on this in our story.

Alex Borstein played Sookie St. James in an unaired Gilmore Girls pilot

It is hard to believe but Melissa McCarthy was not the first choice to play Lorelai Gilmore's best friend. It was comedian Alex Borstein who was first cast to play Sookie St. James, and she even played the character in an unaired Pilot.

However, the show did not work out for her because she was in the middle of her tenure with Mad TV and her contract restricted her from working in Gilmore Girls. Borstein appeared as Ms. Swan in the American sketch comedy series Mad TV, which prevented her from taking on the role of Sookie.

While Borstein could not appear as Sookie, her connection with Amy Sherman-Palladino opened doors to her career as she discussed in an interview with Vulture. She said,

''When I auditioned for Gilmore Girls, I met Amy and her manager producer at that time, Gavin [Polone]. I developed two pilots with Gavin and that set my career off as a writer as well, so I’m pretty happy. I don’t think I would have done that if I was doing Gilmore Girls.''

Alex Borstein has played two different characters on the CW series

While Borstein's role as Sookie St. James could not come through, the actress has played two minor characters in Gilmore Girls. Her friendship with Palladino clearly shows as she also reprised both her characters in Netflix's sequel series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Borstein first appeared as the rude harpist Drella at the Independence Inn in the show's first four episodes. Drella's confrontational personality and rude behaviour was the perfect opportunity for Borstein to showcase her comedic talent, which was on display at its finest.

Secondly, the comedian also appeared as Emily's personal stylist, the turban-wearing Miss Celine in Seasons 3 and 5. Miss Celine was also a funny character as she had a habit of name-dropping famous Hollywood celebrities.

Borstein not only played two drastically different characters, but both her portrayals were played with conviction and showed early signs of a star in the making.

While McCarthy's career soared after the show, thanks to her perfect portrayal of Sookie, Borstein also went on to take big projects. Both women flourished in their respective careers.

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