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Stars Hollow reflections. Milo Ventimiglia<\/strong> <\/a>revealed how he views his brooding bookworm Gilmore Girls<\/em> <\/a>character, Jess Mariano.<\/p>\n \u201cJess was a child,\u201d the This Is Us<\/em> alum<\/a>, 45, said during a Wednesday, February 15, interview with InStyle<\/em><\/a>. Although Ventimiglia doesn\u2019t think the fictional teen always acted with maturity, he does have empathy for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Jess had a lot of life to live. And I don\u2019t think he was quite set up the best way in his younger years \u2014 not having a father, not having a parent. He had to find his way on his own a little bit,<\/a>\u201d the California native explained. \u201cAnd I think he got to it a little quicker, just a place of \u2026 acceptance of who he was, and what he wanted to be, and who he wanted to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n The Emmy nominee reprised his role in the 2016 miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life<\/em><\/a>. In the reboot, Jess acts as a voice of reason for his old flame Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel<\/strong><\/a>) and encourages her to write a book.<\/p>\n While appearing on fellow Gilmore Girls<\/em> alum Scott Potterson<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m All In\u201d podcast in September 2021, Ventimiglia approved of his character not ending up with Rory<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think things are complicated when you\u2019re young,\u201d the Opposite Sex<\/em> alum said of the teen characters. \u201cI think you\u2019re going through a developmental change. You are seeing things in the world that you\u2019ve never seen before. You\u2019re experiencing things from the heart, from the gut, from the head, that you\u2019re experiencing for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cSo, I think Jess and Rory, I think they were what they needed from the moment, from each other and at the same time, it didn\u2019t work out. They went in different directions<\/a>. And that\u2019s OK too. That\u2019s kind of great.\u201d<\/p>\n Ventimiglia and Bledel, 41, had an offscreen romance as well, dating from 2002 to 2006. The Rocky Balboa<\/em> actor also dated his Heroes<\/em> costar Hayden Panettiere<\/strong><\/a> from 2007 to 2009.<\/p>\n The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants<\/em> actress, for her part, married Vincent Kartheiser<\/strong> <\/a>in 2014 and the pair welcomed a son<\/a> the following year. In August 2022, the Mad Men<\/em> alum, 43, filed for divorce. The actors finalized their divorce later that month.<\/p>\n Bledel and Kartheiser had not made a public appearance together in \u201cyears\u201d at the time of their split, a source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly<\/em> in September 2022, noting that growing distance \u201ccertainly played a part\u201d<\/a> in their decision to separate.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t have a huge circle of friends but they both made up for it with very thriving and busy careers \u2014 almost to a fault,\u201d the insider added at the time. \u201cVincent has always been a little bit of a lone wolf and he\u2019s going to benefit from time on his own.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Although Bledel didn\u2019t end up with Ventimiglia \u2014 either on or off screen \u2014 the exes wish each other well. When the Tuck Everlasting<\/em> actress won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series<\/a> in 2017 for her work on The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>, her former costar sang her praises.<\/p>\n Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter<\/a> and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy for her. She\u2019s always been a great actor,\u201d Ventimiglia told The Daily Dish<\/em> <\/a>in September 2017 of Bledel\u2019s win.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Milo](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Milo-Ventimiglia-Says-His-Gilmore-Girls-Character-Jess-Was-a-Child882.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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