You guys. The world of 2000s television was almost an entirely different place. Case in point: In a new video for W magazine, Chris Pine revealed that his first audition was for Gilmore Girls, and that he was probably in the running to play, "I dunno, maybe a boyfriend." What. WHAT?
The video also includes quite a few fun Pine factoids unrelated to the beloved fast-talking series, plus the celebrity impersonation we least expected to see (spoiler: it's Winston Churchill). Pine also adorably acknowledges that he's pretty sure he only got the Gilmore audition because of nepotism. Regardless, the key takeaway here is obviously the revelation that Gilmore Girls may have gone down a very different casting road.
Can you even begin to imagine Dean, Jess, or Logan being played by Captain Kirk? Or rather, by the mustached bandit from the Golden Globe-nominated film Hell or High Water? Which one of Rory's boyfriends — who by this point have basically merged identities with actors Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia, and Matt Czuchry (at least in our minds) — could Pine replace?
Well, Pine's dorky high school yearbook photo certainly features some unfortunate elements of Dean hair and Jess scruff. And we know from The Princess Diaries that Pine can play the overprivileged male without a hitch, so maybe he was up for Logan? Oh, well — since Pine himself can't remember, we may never know. But he certainly would have looked dapper sporting that graying beard in last year's reboot. Team Chris, anyone?
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
The Girl Meets World Finale Teases Its Last Life Lesson
The Affair's Current Season Isn't Over Yet & It's Already Been Renewed