Scott Patterson recalls objectifying moment on Gilmore Girls

Actor Scott Patterson, who played Stars Hollow’s Luke Danes on The WB/The CW’s Gilmore Girls, has opened up about feeling objectified while filming a season three episode.

The description on the latest episode of his podcast, I Am All In with Scott Patterson–in which he does weekly episode breakdowns of motormouthed dramedy Gilmore Girls–reads: “Scott reveals something extremely personal and important about a part of this episode.”

Covering the S3 E19 episode “Keg! Max!”, Patterson reflected on a scene where Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and friend Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy) ogle over and comment on the diner owner’s buns. In the scene, Lorelai remarks the comments are “all positive”, to which Luke replies, “And in bad taste.”

On the podcast, Scott Patterson recalled: “It didn’t make me feel comfortable at all. It made me feel really embarrassed, actually…It is infuriating to be treated that way — it is infuriating — because you’re being treated like an object. It’s disturbing, and it’s disgusting, and I had to endure that through that entire scene and many takes.”

Scott Patterson regrets not doing something about the Gilmore Girls situation at the time but was concerned about “[making] waves.” Expanding on the idea of objectification amongst genders, he explained, “It’s as disgusting for women to objectify men as it for men to objectify women and it’s as harmful.”

After going off the air in 2007, Gilmore Girls returned in 2016 for a four-episode miniseries called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Scott Patterson reprised his role.

Patterson’s other most notable role is Agent Peter Strahm in Saw V and VI, being subjected to something more physical gruesome: a water cube trap that ranks as one of the franchise’s best.

How do you feel about Scott Patterson’s confession and thoughts on gender double standards?