Scott Patterson has spoken out against the "disturbing" scene he appeared in in Gilmore Girls, during which his character's backside is commented on by Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Sookie (Melissa McCarthy).
In the famous scene, which comes in the season three episode Keg! Max, Patterson's Luke fixes a stove while Lorelai and Sookie comment on his backside, saying it has "a nice shape to it." When Luke is done, he asks the two women to "stop talking about my butt" and says what they are saying is "in bad taste."
Now, on the August 24 episode of his podcast I Am All In with Scott Patterson, Patterson has spoken about his experience on set with that Gilmore Girls scene.
"Oh, you mean, objectifying somebody's body part? Yeah, that was disturbing. It is infuriating because you're being treated like an object. And it's disturbing and it's disgusting and I had to endure that through that entire scene and many takes… it was the most disturbing time I have ever spent on that set. I couldn't wait for that day to be over," Patterson said.
"Stand there in front of all those people filming and this is how the creator of that show sees that character. That you can humiliate him and take away his dignity that entire scene and that's okay. That's the one thing I hate about this episode is that scene."
Patterson said the experience made feel like "some kind of meat stick" and felt a great deal of "shame" about the entire scene.
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Patterson said: "It's as disgusting for women to objectify men as it for men to objectify women and it's as harmful."
"Just because it was 2003 didn't mean it was okay. It's never okay. And I didn't feel comfortable doing it and it pissed me off. I never said anything so I was angry at myself for never saying anything but, you know, I had this job and I didn't want to make waves and all that."
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Patterson said that he understands why audiences would initially laugh at the scene because there have been two prior seasons where Lorelai and Sookie have been built up as lovable characters. Patterson said the comedic timing of the scene is done well, but the moment still made him feel "incredibly small."
He continued, "I mean, it's happened to me before in my life – it wasn't the first time that it happened – and it always made me angry. Because, you know, it does, it devalues people. If you are just talking about somebody's body part, you're taking away that person's humanity and it's inappropriate."
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Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
