Where Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino lead, Yanic Truesdale follows. And for their ambitious new dance series, Étoile, he followed them all the way to Paris!

Truesdale’s first-ever TV audition was for Michel Gerard, the cranky French concierge he played in Sherman-Palladino’s beloved 2000s drama, Gilmore Girls. And 25 years later, their professional relationship is still going strong.

“To this day I call her mom and she calls me son,”  Truesdale told Decider over Zoom while chatting about his new role as Raphael in Étoile. “Amy said to me a couple of months ago, ‘You’re stuck with me till the end.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I’m fine with that. I feel the same.'”

In celebration of his new Palladino-verse project, Truesdale spoke with Decider about working with Amy and Dan again, showing his dear friend Kelly Bishop around Paris, how he feels about another Gilmore Girls revival, his love for Étoile scene partner Charlotte Gainsbourg, why his late mother was such a star, and more.

DECIDER: How did you get involved in Étoile? Did Amy and Dan immediately realize they had a talented French-Canadian on speaker phone? 

YANIC TRUESDALE: [Laughs] I’m not quite sure how I popped into their heads, but I did get an email from them saying they were thinking of me for it. And then when I was in Croatia, Amy called me and she asked me if I would be interested. I was like, “You don’t need to ask me. When is it? Where is it? I’ll be there.”

I know Gilmore Girls was your first audition and you’ve called Amy your artistic mother who gave birth to your career, which I love. [Laughs]

Yes! To this day I call her mom and she calls me son. 

Aww. What was it like working with her and Dan again after all this time in a new world? Did it feel noticeably different than working with them on Gilmore Girls? 

Yes and no, in the sense that, yes, because we’re different in the sense that we’re all more mature and we’re people in their — whatever, I won’t say how many decades we are. [Laughs] We all have more experiences in the business and with life, and there’s a maturity to us that we didn’t have back then, obviously. But they’re the same people and I’m the same person. And I think what made us connect back then is still there to this day. That’s the testament of a friendship. I think there’s a connection that is hard to explain and describe, but once it’s there, it’s usually — in my case — there for life. And Amy said to me a couple of months ago, “You’re stuck with me till the end.” I was like, “OK, I’m fine with that. I feel the same.”

Fans fell in love with you as Lauren Graham’s right-hand man, Michel. In Étoile you’re playing Raphael, right hand man to the wonderful Charlotte Gainsbourg, a legend. Did you two hit it off as well?

First of all, I grew up watching her movies. I grew up with her. Even when you’re an actor, once you’ve seen someone for so many years on the screen, there’s always something surreal when you meet them in person. It’s as if they’re not real people, you know? And I’m someone who really respects people’s privacy and rhythm. I never force anything or try to make a relationship work. I just let it be. And so that’s what I did with her. And luckily, the chemistry just happened once again. We just love each other and we became friends. But that’s not something you can control. It either happens or it doesn’t, and in this case, it did happen. So I just love, love, love working with her. She’s everything I wanted her to be. Even more, actually. 

I had the pleasure of chatting with her earlier and she said she was a big fan of yours, too, and when her daughter found out that you were in the show she was thrilled. 

Oh, she didn’t tell me that! I love hearing that. Wow. 

Your Gilmore Girls co-star, the great Kelly Bishop, is also in Étoile. I saw you two had a little reunion while she was in Paris. What did it mean to share that experience with her and have this lifelong friendship? She’s 81 and still such a showstopper.

I know, isn’t that crazy? And she had never been to Paris. So I really made a point of us having a moment and taking her out and showing her the Paris that I love. I picked a place that I knew she would just love. And we showed up at that Michelin restaurant, I think at 6:30 p.m. and we left past midnight. It was just a magical night. And she eats like a bird. I took the seven-course dinner and she said, “Yanic, I’m never gonna —” I said, “I don’t care. Even if you have half a bite of each meal, I just want you to taste everything.” And she ended up eating much more than she thought she would. She’s so great. 

You had your own Friday night dinner!

[Laughs] Yeah, exactly.

What did you enjoy most about playing Raphael? Do you think he and Michel would be friends?

What I enjoy the most is the writing — to reconnect with their writing, and their brilliant dialogue, and their ability to create complex characters. As far as Michel and him, I don’t see why they wouldn’t like each other. Michel was very specific about people being good at their jobs, and I think Raphael is extremely good at what he does, completely committed. And they’re both French, so they would probably share a lot of opinions and views of the world. I think they’d be good friends. 

When you look back at Étoile Season 1, is there a scene that stands out in your mind as most memorable?

I’m such a lover of dance, so for me, to be part of that world and to watch the dancers rehearse and put together the choreographies, it was just so exciting. I admire their dedication and hard work so much, because actors, we go home, we learn lines, we show up, and we try to make people believe that’s who we are. But dancers, they have to work at it. You can’t just show up on stage and put together choreography. What is required from their bodies is just insane. They’re athletes, and I admire that so much. 

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Gilmore Girls. Over the years the show has reached new generations, it’s found a whole new life on streaming. Why do you think it still endures today and has impacted so many people and our culture so deeply? 

I think the writing. The dialogues. The fact that it’s a show about family. It’s a show about a woman who’s trying to do her best, but she’s not perfect. I think people relate to that. And I think the town and the community within the show is very comforting to people. I think people are yearning to be part of a community again, and now the communities have moved online. But I think real communities with real people in person supporting each other is something that human beings still need. And I think people miss that, so the show represents that. 

I know that Amy and Dan have said if the timing is right, they would be open to another Gilmore Girls revival. Are you on-board as well? 

Yeah, we all would be open. I’m on board with anything they do.

Coming off the strikes in Hollywood and living in a world where expression and art is under fire in some aspects, what does it mean to you to be a part of a show that’s such a love letter to the arts?

It means a lot, actually, because it’s a show — exactly like you just said — that celebrates art and is trying to bring, perhaps, a new audience to a form of art that is not as well-known for some people. And I really embrace and love that the show is doing that, and I really hope it will be successful at doing that. 

Before we wrap, in honor of Étoile, is a star either in your life who you’d like to shout out?

Oh, I would have to say my mother. She passed away a few years ago, but she was just an inspiration and so ahead of her time. She was a yoga teacher for 40 years before anyone did yoga. We were recycling before anyone ever did that. We were eating organic before anyone did that. We were vegan before anyone did that. She was an artist, she was a painter, she was a photographer, she was a sculptor. To me, she really opened my brain and my vision of the world to think that anything is possible and that expressing yourself and creativity are the most important things. That’s really formed who I am in my life. 

I’m sure she would have been so proud of you on this show. She’s probably looking down and loving it so much. 

She would love it so much. She loved dance so much. She would watch every second of this show.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Étoile Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.