Bustle Exclusive
On Étoile, Yanic Truesdale Reunites With The Gilmore Girls Team
The actor opens up about his new ballet dramedy and his hopes of being cast in The White Lotus.
Although the title of Prime Video’s Étoile (the French word for “star”) evokes a singular artist, it’s all about the ensemble. The new show follows a pair of ballet companies in Paris and New York, which decide to swap key talent and staff — a cultural exchange that exacerbates conflicts among the companies’ big personalities. Yanic Truesdale, an actor who plays one of those personalities, describes Étoile as a workplace dramedy by way of Gilmore Girls’ Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.
“At the end of the day, it’s about people. It’s about great characters, who the Palladinos certainly know how to come up with,” Truesdale, 55, tells Bustle. “It’s a bunch of misfits trying to make it work, which is always kind of their thing.”
Even those who could take or leave ballet are tuning in to Étoile for the witty jabs and tension-filled romance. (This is a show for the yearners!) Of course, there’s also the natural draw of familiar faces: Truesdale, Luke Kirby, Kelly Bishop, and more cast members have previously appeared in the ever-expanding Sherman-Palladino Cinematic Universe.
Truesdale’s own journey through that beloved canon goes way back to when he first began acting in Hollywood, after first launching his career in Montreal. His first U.S. audition was for the part of Gilmore Girls’ sarcastic concierge, Michel Gerard. He booked it, and the rest is history. (He estimates that he’s heard the Michel line “People are particularly stupid today” quoted to him by thousands of fans.)
The actor’s career has continued to grow since his Gilmore Girls days — recently reuniting with co-star Melissa McCarthy in God’s Favorite Idiot and earning a nod for his role in Les Mecs at the Prix Gémeaux, which recognizes French-language Canadian works. But he’s always happy to re-team with his longtime collaborators. “I know the rhythm they want,” he says, referring to the Palladinos’ penchant for quick, bouncy dialogue. “That’s the beauty of having a long-term relationship artistically with someone, is that you save a lot of time.”
Below, Truesdale breaks down his Étoile character, the Gilmore Girls set, and the hit show he’d love to join next.
Raphael is an essential piece of the ballet swap in Étoile, but we haven’t yet seen much of his life beyond work. What do you imagine that looks like?
I always have a storyline in my head, and before I start working, I write a bible [about] who this person is, which guides my choices throughout the season. If we have a Season 2, Amy and Dan said they will explore who this person is, so I’m curious and excited to see where they will go with him.
With Gilmore Girls turning 25 this year, are there any fun set details fans might want to keep in mind for their next re-watch?
Before you shoot a scene, you have to block it — you decide where physically you will go at what moment, so that the camera can follow you. And I would always make the joke “Is it my cement mark?” My cement mark meant the desk, because I was always by the front desk.
The inn always seemed so cozy.
I kind of like traveling, though. I didn’t get to do much physical comedy with Michel — I mean, rolling the baby, here and there, but not so much. My two favorite things in the world are acting and traveling. So when the two are combined [on Étoile], it doesn’t get better than this — the fact that I lived in Paris to do this great job, acting with this amazing group of people.
Since you mention travel, I’ve seen fans cast you for The White Lotus. Is that something you could imagine? I feel like Michel was the blueprint...
Please, please, please reach out to Mike White! Funny story: I wanted to send him an email saying how much I love his writing and wanted to work with him. I took an afternoon to write, to choose the words that I wanted to use. I sent the email. I get a reply at night. The guy said, “Oh, thank you, but I’m not Mike White the writer.” I was actually never able to get his real email.
OK, let’s get this to him! On another note, your fellow Gilmore Girls alum Lauren Graham has pitched a Christmas special reunion. Is that something you’d be interested in? If so, what do you picture for Michel at this point?
I’m down for whatever the Palladinos are. I have not spent time elaborating in my head where Michel will be at, [but] I’ll let the Palladinos come up with that.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
