For seven years, she starred on the hit series Gilmore Girls. Now 26, the lovely but shy Alexis Bledel is focused on the big screen. She has a new movie coming out from Fox called The Post-Grad Survival Guide and an independent film called The Good Guy. But you can see her returning to theaters right now with those magical blue jeans in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, based on a popular young-adult book series about four friends.

On a recent day off, Alexis conceded, “Part 1 wasn’t necessarily big at the box office, but the DVD was huge. In Part 2, we [the four girls who share a friendship and those extraordinary pants] are all a little older, and we’re off to college and new challenges.”

Some actors blather on endlessly about themselves, but Alexis is reticent, skimping on the details. In fact, she first got into acting at a community theater in Texas because her parents thought it would make her less bashful.

For several years, she dated Gilmore cast member and now Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia. But she won’t discuss him, and when I asked, “Anyone new come along yet?” Alexis said, “I don’t want to go there, but I’m happy.”

She became a print model at 14 and was a world traveler before being accepted by NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts—and then dropping out to take on Gilmore Girls.

Since her mom is Mexican and her dad Argentinian, I asked if Bledel was a stage name. “No, it’s my real name,” she said. “My father’s family is Danish and migrated to Argentina.”

How does she spend her free time? Does she work out? “I never was particularly athletic, but now that I have a personal trainer, finally I have muscles,” Alexis said. How did that happen? “It’s a combination of karate and boxing that really taught me a lot. And now I regularly play soccer. But I love cooking. That’s the best thing—cooking and having friends over for dinner.”

Brady’s Bits
Since her former TV character, Rory Gilmore, studied at Yale, I wondered if Alexis spent much time in New Haven. “No,” she said. “The only way I ever would have gotten into Yale was fictionally. The show’s exterior shots were all stock footage of the campus. We never did any filming there. But I found it very flattering when Yale invited me to visit. And I got a lot of fan mail from alumni.” She spoke candidly about work and studying scripts for future movies. Alexis told me she hasn’t totally abandoned TV. “It’s not right for now,” she said. ”But maybe someday I’d go back and do another series. But only if it’s the right thing, the right role.”

Personal
Born Sept. 16, 1981, in Houston, Tex. Single.

Why You Know Her
She played the intelligent and introspective only daughter of a single mom for seven years on Gilmore Girls.

What You Don’t Know
Growing up, Alexis spoke Spanish first. She didn’t learn English until she began attending school.

Source: Parade Magazine