Gilmore Girls fans will be quick to recognize Yanic Truesdale in Étoile but they might be surprised when his character in the new series starts speaking.
The actor who played Michel, the Independence (and later Dragonfly) Inn’s oft-irritated concierge, reunites with his Gilmore Girls writers-directors-executive-producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino in the duo’s latest series Étoile, where he plays Raphael, the right-hand man to Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Geneviève.
Though Truesdale’s latest character is indeed French, unlike Michel, who spoke with a French accent, Raphael does not have an accent, a choice that Truesdale says was intentional and that he was quick to make.
“That was my first thing,” Truesdale told The Hollywood Reporter at Étoile‘s premiere in New York earlier this month. “When Amy called me and said, ‘It’s shot in Paris,’ I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing.’ I said, ‘Is the character French?’ and she said yes, and I said, ‘Amy, I’m not doing a French accent.’ She said, ‘No, I agree.’ I just didn’t want to confuse fans, you know? And also I wanted to create a distinct character that would be different from Michel. So, yeah, no accent.”
Truesdale added that he used his “natural” speaking voice for Raphael.
The actor, who said it was “phenomenal” reuniting with the Palladinos, explained that working on Gilmore Girls created a lasting, familial bond.
“For the last 20 years, I’ve called Amy mom because I told her she gave birth to my artistic career in the U.S. So she calls me son and she says, ‘You’re the best son I could’ve ever had because I didn’t have to raise you.’ It gives you the level of comfort and family vibe that we have together,” Truesdale said. “I think Gilmore was very meaningful for everyone that was involved, including them. They created a show that won’t die, literally 25 years later. And I think we’re all very attached to each other and connected. It’s all just very comfortable. It feels like family. We don’t need to say many words — a look and I’m like, ‘Yeah.’”
For this role, Truesdale said the Palladinos reached out and told him they were thinking of him for the show.
“Where was I? What was I doing? Was I available? I said, ‘I’ll make myself available,’” he recalls.
All eight episodes of Étoile‘s first season are now streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video.