When Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino approached Yanic Truesdale about joining their next comedy series “Étoile,” he had his reservations.
The “Gilmore Girls” star, best known for his role as Michel in the beloved series, was nervous that American audiences would “be confused” if he played another French role in the Sherman-Palladino universe.
“When [the Palladinos] called me, I was super excited,” Truesdale told TheWrap that he had one request for the creators. “I said, ‘I don’t think I should do a French accent like Michel. The audience is going to be confused.’”
The French-Canadian actor gained popularity in the U.S. for his portrayal of the snarky concierge of the Independence and Dragonfly inns, but he wanted “Gilmore Girls” fans to separate him from Stars Hollow.
In “Étoile,” Truesdale plays Raphael, the deputy director of the Paris Opera and right-hand-man of Genevieve (Charlotte Gainsbourg). As opposed to Michel, Raphael is committed to his job at the ballet, “unlike Michel, who was miserable,” he said.
“I said let’s not make him passive aggressive. If he had something to say, let’s make him a straight shooter,” he said. “There was a little more extra work, as opposed to a brand new character, just because the two were French and they were from the same creator.”
The star kept his natural accent, which leans more American, for when he spoke in English for the series instead of leaning into the French accent he used for Michel.
Truesdale called Sherman-Palladino his mother because she “birthed” his American career 25 years ago. “You could ask anyone on set, I call her mom and she calls me son,” he said.
“Dan and Amy, they are very loyal. Once you’re in and once they love you, they love you for life.”
The Palladinos echoed this sentiment, with Sherman-Palladino telling TheWrap casting from the same talent roster is “a comfort thing.”
“If we feel this, this actor would work well with this character in this new thing, we just want to hire him back rather than looking for someone else,” Palladino said. “We also know the voices of these actors so well, certainly Kelly [Bishop], certainly Yanic. When we know them well, then we can really write them to order for them.”
The “Gilmore Girls” star also reunited with Bishop, who played Emily Gilmore in the series, on the set of “Étoile” in Paris. He showed the Tony Award winner around Paris for her first visit, as they dined at his favorite Michelin star restaurant – “I wanted to make sure that she would have a grand time.”
“Étoile” follows the executives behind two world-renowned ballet companies as they attempt to save their institutions by committing to a swap of their top talent. The series is now streaming on Prime Video.
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