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Lauren Graham Explains How Gilmore Girls Is ‘Sneakily Feminist’

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While much of the discussion surrounding Netflix’s upcoming Gilmore Girls revival is centered on Rory and Lorelai’s love interests, according to Lauren Graham, the main focus of A Year in the Life will continue to be the relationship the two leading ladies have with themselves and each other.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 49-year-old actress spoke about the show’s feminism, noting that finding a man has never been either’s Gilmore’s driving ambition.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t say that [Rory and Lorelai’s] main strength, even if they believe in true love, is that they have themselves and they have each other,” Graham told EW. “The show is sneakily feminist in that it’s always been great for them to have love, but they’re also okay when they don’t. That self-sufficiency is the first strength and that allows them to have these relationships. It’s why we sometimes bristle at: What team are you on?! It’s like: It doesn’t matter. Rory’s going to be great no matter what. And I think that’s an underlying message of the show, too.”

Alexis Bledel seemed to agree with her co-star, adding that her curiosity about Rory’s future revolved around her character’s career, not whether she ended up with Logan, Jess or Dean.

“I was wondering what [Rory] had accomplished in her career,” she said. “I wanted there to be a payoff after all her hard work. She set so many goals and had been so ambitious academically. That’s what I wanted to know.”

Read more at EW.com.

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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com