By Christina Radish
On the CW television series Gossip Girl, based on the popular series of young adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar and executive produced by Josh Schwartz (Chuck), the privileged prep school teens on Manhattan’s Upper East Side learn from the blog of the all-knowing, albeit ultra-secretive, Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell) that Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) is back in town. Serena’s closest friend, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) is surprised to find that Serena has suddenly ended her self-imposed exile to boarding school and returned to Manhattan.
Once the Upper East Side’s most notorious party girl, Serena’s reasons for returning are mysterious, and the change in her is obvious, especially to Blair, whose friendship with Serena has always been competitive and difficult. When Serena was out of the picture, Blair enjoyed her time in the spotlight and has no intention of going back to living in Serena’s shadow. Their uneasy relationship is further complicated by Blair’s boyfriend Nate (Chace Crawford), for whom Blair will have to fight to hold onto his attention.
The tension between Blair and Serena isn’t lost on anyone in this crowd, since they all live for gossip and scandal, along with fashion, shopping and partying in Manhattan’s trendiest hot spots. This is a world you have to be born into, full of wealth, power and kids who lead reckless lives, constantly exploring their darker side.
Each of the young leads -- Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen and Ed Westwick -- spoke with MediaBlvd Magazine about working on the series.
BLAKE LIVELY (as Serena van der Woodsen)
Blake Lively has quickly become one of the most sought-after young actresses in Hollywood. After memorable roles, both in the comedy Accepted and as one of the four girls in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the 20-year-old native of Tarzana, Calif. was honored at the 2006 Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards. From a family of actors, Lively recently completed production on the independent feature Elvis & Annabelle, as well as the sequel to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you get this role?
Blake Lively> Josh Schwartz called me about it. When I first did Sisterhood, a lot of the fans of the Gossip Girl book series had seen me in the trailer and they were blogging, “She has to be Serena!” I think that Josh saw that, and he called me and said, “I wrote the show for you. You have to do this. I will not do this with anyone else.” We talked about it and I thought about it for a little while, and it felt right.
MediaBlvd> What’s the coolest thing about the show?
Blake> New York is an amazing factor. Getting to work with Josh and Stephanie, and having them be so passionate. The clothes are amazing. It’s just a really fun show. The cast is so great. We get along so well. It’s a really great vibe, all around.
MediaBlvd> How different was shooting the pilot than making a movie?
Blake> Very different. My mind-set was different because, in a movie, it’s going to be done in three months. I have my whole character arc to do in those three months. Whereas with a pilot, you can’t have a huge arc in one episode. You need the change to be interesting. And, you may have 100 episodes to find out really who you are.
MediaBlvd> Will you do anything different on a TV series, since your character can’t peak in one episode?
Blake> I’m very excited because Serena is very complex. She was what you can call a bad girl before, and now she’s trying to be good. But, she’s still got this core to her. She’s being pulled at all different angles, from her mom to her brother to this new good guy, Dan, to Nate who she still loves, to her best friend. She’s got all of these people pulling on her and she needs to find her place. I definitely think there’s going to be room to explore different areas because she’s so complex.
MediaBlvd> Has the cast become close?
Blake> When we see each other, we get so excited that we’re dancing, singing and handing each other cookies. I thought, “We’re going to be so sick of each other in six years.” It’s so exciting, now. I hope that it always stays this way.
MediaBlvd> What do you think of Josh Schwartz?
Blake> Josh is so fantastic. Josh and (executive producer) Stephanie Savage are both so fantastic because they’re very young and very passionate about what they do. It’s very important to them to make a good product, where a lot of executives just want to stamp out what’s going to make money and they don’t care anything about it. They just sign their name on it. But, Josh has so much heart in everything he does, from his locations to the actors he chooses to the wardrobe. They approve everything, and that was very important to me. The reason I did the show was because Josh and Stephanie we were so passionate about their work.
MediaBlvd> How do you feel about moving to New York to film the show?
Blake> Oh, I’m so excited.
MediaBlvd> Have you ever lived there before?
Blake> The pilot was the longest amount of time I’ve ever been there, but I’m very excited to live there just because there’s so much energy there, there are so many artists there, and so many people doing what they want to do. Even if they’re not accomplishing it yet, the world is at your fingertips there. Nothing closes, everybody’s so excited about what they’re doing, and everybody’s all pushed together, on an eight-mile island. L.A. is a lot more isolated.
MediaBlvd> Do you have an apartment there?
Blake> I do.
MediaBlvd> Who do you live with?
Blake> Myself.
MediaBlvd> How do you feel about living on your own?
Blake> I’m so excited. I love being around people, but I have a feeling I’m going to be working 20 hours a day, five days a week, so I won’t have time to get lonely.
MediaBlvd> Did you ever spend time in school, or were you always home schooled?
Blake> I was in regular school my entire life. I was home schooled for about a year, just because I went to a prep school for a little bit, but it wasn’t a good match. It was too far into the year to go into any other school. But, I was very involved with high school.
MediaBlvd> What was your favorite subject?
Blake> I love math, and I love English. It’s just so exciting for me to solve problems. I was very involved with extracurriculars as well. I was in show choir. We were the number one in the nation. So, that was one of my biggest passions.
MediaBlvd> Did you have any embarrassing moments in school?
Blake> Oh, my gosh, so many. I’m such a klutz.
MediaBlvd> Were there bad girls, like on the show, at your high school?
Blake> I think there are catty, insecure girls everywhere. I just think that maybe the way people are raised makes them different, makes them insecure. Thus, they have to talk about other people and pull out things that are wrong with other people, in order for them to feel better about themselves. There were definitely gossipy girls there, but I loved growing up in Burbank. It’s like a small town. I was very involved in school.
MediaBlvd> Any desire to go to college?
Blake> Yes, I’ve wanted to go to Stanford my whole life. I never planned on acting. So, when it came up, it was in the summer between my junior and senior year so I thought, “Well, I'll try this out,” and I enjoyed it so much. My agents, and everyone, were saying that now is the time. But, school is most important to me, so I finished my senior year of high school and decided I would just delay college for a year. This is what I want to do, so I can always go back to college. My producers actually said they might work it out so maybe I can go to Columbia, one day a week. That would be really exciting.
MediaBlvd> Do you and your friends go online?
Blake> Yeah, of course we go online. I don’t know how you can avoid it. I was brought up in the generation that, when you do your school papers, you go online. A lot of times, you don’t read a book because you can download the book online and read it. It’s much easier.
MediaBlvd> Do you read any celebrity gossip magazines or websites?
Blake> No, I don’t really go on the websites. When, I sign onto AOL, there’s always the pop-up of the entertainment stories of the week. They have a little paragraph there of what has happened. I get it through that. Or, if I’m sitting in an airport and there’s a magazine. I never read the stories, though, because they’re so untrue. But, the pictures are fun.
MediaBlvd> Can you see how this life of privilege leads girls to become like Paris or Nicole?
Blake> I don’t think it’s so much a life of privilege as it is how you’re raised. I think parenting is very important because even the Humphries, on the show, are privileged. You look at their apartment, and anybody that’s been to New York and looked at apartments knows that those people aren’t struggling, and they go to these expensive prep schools, but they were brought up by really great parents, and family was so important to them that they have stayed grounded. They’re very moral people. And, my family are all actors, so I grew up with the business around me. But, I have such a great family and such a great base, that it was never an option for me to become a Paris Hilton type. I don’t think it’s money and privilege as much as it is parenting and the importance of education and your surroundings.
MediaBlvd> Do you like good guys or bad boys?
Blake> I like someone that makes me laugh. I enjoy someone that’s really fun. Lookswise, there’s nothing really specific.
MediaBlvd> What are you like off the set?
Blake> I love party planning, interior decorating, baking. I’m very domestic. I’m like a little Martha Stewart. I make desserts.
MediaBlvd> How was shooting The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2?
Blake> Oh, it was fantastic. It was so great to be back with all the girls again. We enjoy each other so much. We got to go to Greece and Connecticut, so we really had a great time.
MediaBlvd> Is it more of the group together, or do you separate again?
Blake> We each have our own storylines again, but in our own personal lives, we make time to be together. The first movie was so much about the Sisterhood, and we were off doing our own things. This one is more about us being so caught up in our own lives. How do we find the Sisterhood within this? We need each other because we’re really falling apart.
MediaBlvd> Is it close to the second book?
Blake> No, it’s an accumulation of all three books. It’s mostly the fourth book, but in the beginning, we tell what has happened for the past two summers. My storyline has a lot to do with the second book, though.
MediaBlvd> How has everybody changed since the first movie?
Blake> Our lives have gone in different paths than they were when we first met, but they’re really great, genuine people. Nothing has changed about them as people, so when we get together, it’s exactly the same, whether people believe it or not. No time has passed. They mothered me again.
MediaBlvd> You’re still the baby?
Blake> Oh yeah, but I beat them up, too. We make up dances and we have so much fun together.
MediaBlvd> Did they save the jeans from the first Sisterhood film?
Blake> They did, but since two summers have gone by since, we’ve added decoration to the jeans, as our lives changed. As stories and experiences have been added to our own lives, we’ve added onto the jeans. And, we haven’t tried them on because we don’t want to see how our own sizes have changed.
MediaBlvd> When does the sequel come out?
Blake> August of 2008.
MediaBlvd> Which books do you feel more bound to, Sisterhood or Gossip Girl?
Blake> They’re very different. With Sisterhood, I read all four books in the very beginning because it was just a movie. For three months, we told the story of the first book. Whereas Gossip Girl is a full series. It could go one episode, or it could go 100 episodes. We don’t know. So, I read the books for Sisterhood, but for Gossip Girl, I just read about half, to really get to know the character. I know Sisterhood better, but I’m very excited to dive into Gossip Girl. I’ve never done anything like this.
MediaBlvd> What is Elvis & Annabelle?
Blake> It’s an independent film. We’re looking for the right person to take it on, and there have been a few people that are interested. It’s a really important story and it’s got so much heart. We don’t want somebody to just put a commercial stamp on it and change things that were very important to us about the story.
MediaBlvd> Have you had any funny fan encounters?
Blake> Any fan encounter is funny to me. I just feel like a normal girl, in Burbank. I live such a normal life. I was never in the Hollywood scene. So, any time anybody comes up to me, I always get a little shy. But, I have my cute dog now, so a lot of people come up to me and they’re like, “Oh, my gosh, are you . . . ,” and I think they’re going to ask if I’m from Sisterhood, and they say, “. . . with that really cute dog?”
MediaBlvd> People don’t recognize you from Accepted?
Blake> They do. It’s weird when they recognize me from Accepted because I’m so used to Sisterhood. When I have my hair really long and blonde, I get recognized a lot more from Sisterhood.
MediaBlvd> Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
Blake> People not so much mistake me, but they come up to me all the time and say, “You look so much like Kate Hudson.” I don't see it at all, but I get that a lot. I don’t know what it is. I think it’s because we both giggle a lot.
MediaBlvd> What goals have you set for yourself?
Blake> There are so many things that I want to do in my life. Specifically, I would love to open a restaurant. I would love to have an interior decorating business. There are so many different businesses that I would love to have. That’s another great thing about acting. It opens doors for you to be involved with so many different things. And, also, I’m trying to become very involved in charity work. I really like to help children. And, it’s important that we help our environment, for our children. Now that I’m doing the show and I’m going to be more in the spotlight, I have a voice and I think it’s irresponsible not to use it, especially in a good way.
LEIGHTON MEESTER (as Blair Waldorf)
After making her television debut on Law & Order, when she was 13, Leighton Meester got her breakout role in 2004, as the Britney Spears-like singer Justine Chapin on the hit series Entourage. She continued to work steadily with guest-star roles on series like 8 Simple Rules, Numbers and CSI Miami, and has had recurring roles on popular series such as 24, Veronica Mars, Shark and House. In addition, she had regular roles on Tarzan and Surface.
Raised in Marco Island, Florida, Meester became interested in acting when she appeared in a local production of “The Wizard of Oz.” When she was 11, she moved with her family to New York City, where she began working as a model. By the time she was 14, she was living in Los Angeles.
Making her film debut in the feature Hangman’s Curse, she also starred in the independent film Flourish and the drama Inside. Her upcoming feature film roles include the dramedy The Beautiful Ordinary and the thriller Dead of Night.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Are you the Summer (from The OC) character on this show?
Leighton Meester> As far as coloring goes, sure. But, I don’t know how comparable they are, as far as every little thing. I think the world that they’re in is completely different. The circumstances are completely different. My character has a lot of things that are going to surface that you’re going to be amazed by. You’re not going to hate her, you’re not going to love her, but you’re going to love to hate her. She’s not perfect, by any means. And, in the end, because of that, you’ll find her to be a very sympathetic character. I’m so proud, happy and grateful that I get to play this role. It’s really a gift. Blair is a dream character, if you want to actually be on a series. To have a character like this is just unheard of. She’s young, so you wouldn’t think that she would have all of this true-to-life stuff going on. She is the essential bitch, so you would think maybe that’s all she is, but no. She’s got a lot more going on.
MediaBlvd> Do you identify with her?
Leighton> I don’t identify with her, in that aspect. But, of course, we all know what that’s like. To a certain degree, absolutely, I do identify with her. I think it’s because she deals with the same issues, in the show, that every single girl in the world deals with, such as school, boyfriend, friends, body image, mother, parents, family and independence. She just seems to have it at higher stakes. That’s what I don’t understand. But, as far as all the other issues, I absolutely have gone through it.
MediaBlvd> What makes Blair sympathetic?
Leighton> She deals with the same exact issues as any other teenage girl in the world, or just any person, for that matter. Women who are my mom’s age are going to want to watch the show, either to understand their children, or look back and go, “Exactly!” It’s just the same, nowadays. Everyone has the same insecurities.
MediaBlvd> What was your high school experience like?
Leighton> I was getting into acting, so I had that. Every single day at school wasn’t the most important thing. I didn’t have to get dressed up and try to date. I wasn’t popular, but I wasn’t unpopular. I made friends with a lot of people. I really came to realize -- and it’s the best advice that will come out of the end of this show -- that high school is not the end, it is not the best, it is not the only. You will have a whole life afterwards, if you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky, then the only thing you’ll ever feel is how fun it is at your prom. For me, the best was to come afterwards. In high school, you’re only friends with people because you have to be and because they’re there. So, that’s what growing up has taught me. That’s why it’s good that I’m a couple years older than this character, but not by much.
MediaBlvd> Which clique were you in?
Leighton> I was in every little clique. I was good at school. I did well. I had the academic French club scene going on. But then, I was friends with cheerleaders, slackers, jocks and my teachers. I don’t think anybody didn’t like me. Blake said that when she came back from doing her movie in high school, everybody had formed their own clique. I think it definitely draws from some sort of jealousy, which my character definitely has. The reason why Blair is so mad at Serena, and she’s tried to be the Queen Bee of the school while Serena’s away, is just from insecurities. She’s jealous. There can be a lot of grudgy moments, and you might not be able to connect with people because they don’t like that you’re so past it.
MediaBlvd> Is it true that the pretty girls don’t ever get asked out in high school?
Leighton> I was asked out once or twice, but I was such a late bloomer. I definitely got to know myself a lot better later, even just in the past few years. You think that you’re so grown up, when you’re 15 or 16, and then you get to be 21 and you’re like, “Well, now I feel more like a woman.” But, even still, not so much. I don’t know how much I still have to grow.
MediaBlvd> What was your awkward phase like?
Leighton> I had braces and glasses. You don’t even want to know what my hair was like. I never did my eyebrows. I wore sneakers and long baggy jeans. It was bad. I went that way to school, but then, when I would go to the set, I would get all made up and it was great. But, I just didn’t try, normally. I guess it was just because I was really innocent. It’s so crazy to see these people in this situation being so not innocent. But, I think that it’s because they’re in the Upper East Side, where it’s an exclusive little bubble, and they’re allowed to do whatever they want, whenever they want.
MediaBlvd> What would you go back and tell your 15-year-old self?
Leighton> I think that things become really important to you, when you’re 15 -- all your friends and all that drama. I’m really lucky that I wasn’t sucked into it too much. What seems really important to you in high school is no longer important to you, the day you graduate.
MediaBlvd> Where did you go to high school?
Leighton> I went to Beverly Hills High School. I also went to school the Professional Children’s School in the Upper West Side of New York. My mom and I moved to L.A. from New York because I wanted to see if I could be on TV.
MediaBlvd> That was only a few years ago, but you didn’t have all the text messaging going on then, like you do now, right?
Leighton> No. I got my first cell phone when I was 17, and it was a really old one that wasn’t colored. It was a flip phone with a pull-up antennae. I didn’t even have a pager.
MediaBlvd> How into the whole gossip scene are you?
Leighton> Before this, not at all. With everything that’s going on in my life, I have to wait to see my friends. I have so many things to be filled in on, as far as their own gossip. As far as celebrity gossip, I’m the last one to hear it. My friends say, “Oh, yeah, you’re the one that doesn’t ever know anything.” Now, I have to look.
MediaBlvd> When you were living in New York as a teenager, did you ever hang out with the kids from the Upper East Side?
Leighton> No, I did not. I think that that’s such an exclusive world. We’re so lucky to be able to watch this show, to actually understand it. If you do talk to these people, and they’re totally up-front and honest about it. They’ll tell you that it’s very true to life. I was never part of that. I did not have that upbringing. It was more an exclusive little bubble. Their families put so much pressure on them. In the books, and on the show, the kids get to do whatever they want. They can go out, they can have boyfriends, they can drink. We’re not displaying that recklessly, but we’re showing it very true to life. You don’t need a fake ID when you’re them. As long as they hold up the reputation of the family name and keep up their grades, they will come out on top and be able to do whatever they want.
MediaBlvd> Do you have your own place in New York now, since the show is filming there?
Leighton> Absolutely. I’m hoping everything is going to work out. It’s so nice to go back there because I lived there up until I was 14, when I moved to L.A. for high school. It’s so different going there, as an adult. Being 21 in the city is the best because you can go wherever you want. I’m not a big partier, but you can go out and meet up with people, and not have to worry about it. There’s so many cool places. The culture is great. Everywhere is so close. It’s so convenient. I’m really bad about that because I’m such a homebody. I can call up and get everything delivered.
MediaBlvd> What are some of the things you like to do when you’re not working?
Leighton> When I’m not working, I just try to be with my family and friends. I really love music. I sing. I’ve produced a couple songs with friends of mine. Someday, my songs will come out. I have a lot of really artistic friends that are really into that. I want to get into producing. I love to write. I love writing poetry, songs, scripts, books and short stories. That’s always been my thing.
MediaBlvd> Where do guys fit in?
Leighton> I have really good luck, but when you’re in this business, it’s hard to maintain a balance between your very deep, intense personal life and what’s out in public, and working, and being with your friends and family, and everything else. It’s really not easy.
MediaBlvd> Are you ready to be a household name from being on this show?
Leighton> We’ll see. I’m just excited for the success of the show and, hopefully, it works out to where people are watching it and they can really connect with us.
MediaBlvd> When will you consider yourself a celebrity?
Leighton> I don’t know. It’s so hard to say. I don’t really know if that’s necessarily what I want or what I’m seeking. I just want to make the show. On a more serious note, I think that there’s good and bad things to be said about never being able to go anywhere on your own. I’m so used to being able to do that, so I hope it doesn’t get to that point. But, if that’s what it means for the show to do well, then that’s okay.
PENN BADGLEY (as Dan Humphrey)
Most recently seen in Tom Fontana’s The Bedford Diaries, opposite Matthew Modine and Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Penn Badgley also starred alongside Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) and Brittany Snow (Hairspray) in the hit comedy John Tucker Must Die, and will next be seen starring in the rugby-themed film Forever Strong.
Though life began for Badgley in Baltimore, he split his formative years between Richmond, Virginia and Seattle, Washington, where he became actively involved in the Seattle Children’s Theater and voice-over work that eventually lead he and his mother to Los Angeles, where he secured an agent. Upon relocating, he landed guest starring and recurring roles on such shows as Will & Grace, What I Like About You, Daddio, The Brothers Garcia and The Young and the Restless, before getting lead roles in the comedy series Do Over and the drama The Mountain.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you come to get this role?
Penn Badgley> My agents sent it to me and, initially, I was hesitant because I’d done so many WB shows, playing the same guy -- the nice guy with maybe a hard edge -- and, by the end of each show, I’d transform the character into a cooler guy. That was my pride acting out. But, once I read the script and I knew that (executive producer) Josh Schwartz and (executive producer) Stephanie Savage were involved, that’s when I signed onboard because I knew it would be something special.
MediaBlvd> Your character is the outsider who has more to prove. Has that been fun for you?
Penn> It’s always nice to be the moral compass of a show. I think he stands out as the heart and soul, and a lot of people identify with him, maybe more than others. It’s much easier to like the guy that’s smiling than the guy that’s scowling. It’s great, but I’m also hoping that they’ll explore some darker sides of his character, so that he can really have some arcs.
MediaBlvd> What do you think makes him tick?
Penn> The vulnerability of a teenager is universal, regardless of how popular you are. I really just drew on my own experience as a teenager.
MediaBlvd> Have you suggested anything to the writers and creators what you would like to see your character do?
Penn> I’ll suggest certain things, as a joke, but in general, they’ve got a handle on it. They know what they’re doing. Suggestions of mine would be taken to heart, but ultimately, they have their own vision and I just go along with it, at this point.
MediaBlvd> Will you be hanging out in New York, when you aren’t shooting, or does everyone just want to keep their distance?
Penn> Initially, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick and I all talked about living together, but just Chace and Ed are living together. I decided to go out on my on, since I’ve roomed with people from every other show I’ve been on. I decided it was time to be alone. We’re all very close, though. Being on location brings a cast together.
MediaBlvd> Do you have a younger sister, like your character on the show?
Penn> I have an older half-sister, but I never had a relationship with her because she’s so much older and I never lived with her. We keep in contact, but don’t have that sibling contact.
MediaBlvd> Did you get together with Taylor Momsen and talk about your characters’ relationship?
Penn> We spend time together on set. It’s not that hard. We got along, and already I feel so protective over her. She’s 13, but she looks like she’s at least 17.
MediaBlvd> What was your high school experience like?
Penn> My first day of high school, one of my best friends got punched in the face by a senior, in the hall of a big public school. That was a rude awakening. I realized that kids just act so erratically. Sometimes, teens act out, like that guy who acted out in an offensive way, for no reason, hitting my best friend.
MediaBlvd> Were you in a any cliques?
Penn> I ran in the middle. I was friends with the popular kids. I was friends with kids who weren’t. I just walked the line. There wasn’t as much division, as on this show, but kids will naturally judge each other very viciously. It’s universal. All the scandalous gossip fodder that’s going on in this show happens in every high school. It’s not really unique to this lifestyle.
MediaBlvd> Are you into texting?
Penn> Not at all. I just recently got a text thing because my friends insist on texting me, but for the most part, I’m pretty low tech. I’m kind of a technological idiot. I have a computer, but that’s about all I do.
MediaBlvd> Why should people tune in to this show?
Penn> Anybody who has loved shows like The OC, or any teen dramas in the past, is going to like this, regardless, but I do think it has a little bit more of an adult flair to it. The style and sensibilities that setting it in New York City bring to it, will attract a broader audience. Even though the problems of these wealthy people might not be universal, the culture of New York City is a little more approachable than the cocoon that is Newport Beach.
CHACE CRAWFORD (as Nate Archibald)
Having moved to Los Angeles from Plano, Texas to attend Pepperdine University, Chace Crawford began studying acting as a hobby. Shortly thereafter, the 22-year-old landed his first break in 2006, starring alongside Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) in the supernatural thriller The Covenant. Since then, he has appeared in Lifetime’s television movie Long Lost Son, alongside Gabrielle Anwar (Burn Notice), and will next be seen in Loaded, with Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) and Monica Keena (Entourage), and the independent feature She Lived.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you come to this project?
Chace Crawford> I had a meeting back in January with my television agent and she said, “There this big script that Josh Schwartz has adapted.” I read it and thought, “It’s typical teen stuff, but it’s Josh Schwartz, so it’s probably going to be a good project.” The casting process was pretty rigorous. I went back six or seven times. I knew that I was probably in the mix after the first audition, but winning over Les Moonves was another story. I ended up reading with Leighton, who had just gotten cast.
MediaBlvd> Had Les seen your work in The Covenant, or anything?
Chace> I don’t know. I’m pretty new to all of this. I’ve only been acting for about three years, so I don’t have a reel, or anything, but they had some good scenes to read. It was a learning process, going through all that. And, Leighton was fantastic, when I got to read with her. When I met her and the rest of the cast, I knew it could be something good. And then, when we all sat down and watched it, I was like “It’s a great pilot!” I was really impressed with the look and the music. It was unbelievable. There’s no weak links on anything, from the acting to the directing to the lighting. It all came together very nicely.
MediaBlvd> Were you auditioning for other shows at the same time as this?
Chace> I was. I really came into it wanting to knock pilot season out of the park. I got really focused and I got test deals for a show called Gravity, on The CW, which fell through, and another show on NBC, called Zip. But, we talked to Josh and he said, “You’re one of the front runners,” and so, we said no to the other ones and focused on this one. It was a good gamble, since it ended up working out. But, it was a good problem to have. This was my third pilot season, and by far my best one.
MediaBlvd> What’s the coolest thing about being on your show?
Chace> I just love people, and I love the cast. I feel like I’m so fortunate to be around them. That’s besides the obvious of getting to do what I love to do, and working with Josh Schwartz. Living in New York is great.
MediaBlvd> What are you hoping you’ll get to do on the show?
Chace> I hope Nate gets to deal with family issues. That would be interesting for me. And, not just the love triangle thing. I’d like to see his background and see what really drives him. He’s a little bit mysterious, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to delve into that.
MediaBlvd> Have you, yourself, ever felt like an outsider?
Chace> I’ve felt like an outsider for the last three years, in this business. All the names get the jobs. It’s such a political thing. When it gets down to the finals, there’s five guys and the producers lay out the resumes. I was always fighting that. I think you have to get over that and start the snowball towards you.
MediaBlvd> Did you leave anybody behind in Texas?
Chace> I came out here to go to Pepperdine, but I used have a girlfriend in Texas. I dated her a little bit, through Freshman year at college, and realized that wasn’t the right thing to do. I took the Fall semester off and tried this as a hobby, and it ended up working out. And, now I’m loving the single life.
MediaBlvd> How did you end up rooming with Ed Westwick?
Chace> He’s my good buddy. And, it cut the cost. We got a really nice place. Otherwise, we’d be hung up. I completely fell in love with New York, when we were filming the pilot.
MediaBlvd> Are you prepared at all for the fame and visibility that this show will bring?
Chace> I’m not prepared at all, to be honest. I’m taking it day by day. It’s insane. I want to take it episode by episode and just make sure my work is good. The rest, I hope, will take care of itself, if the work is to my standards.
MediaBlvd> What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Chace> I love to cook and golf. I can make a mean spaghetti. I try to eat healthy -- egg whites and all that.
MediaBlvd> Are you going to try to do some movies while you’re ono break from the show?
Chace> Films are where the heart is, but I’ve always wanted to do some type of TV show. And, to have the hype of being the next teen sensation would be a hit in my book of achievement. But, I’m looking forward to doing some good films. Whatever comes along, will come along.
TAYLOR MOMSEN (as Jenny Humphrey)
With poise and range that reaches well beyond her years, 14-year-old Taylor Momsen is making her mark in Hollywood. In 2000, she starred in her breakthrough performance, as Cindy Lou Who, in Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, opposite Jim Carrey. Since then, the St. Louis native, and Maryland resident, has been in the live action/CGI film Underdog, Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids 2 and We Are Soldiers, opposite Mel Gibson. She will next be seen in Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park, about a teenage skateboarder whose life begins to fray after he is involved in the accidental death of a security guard.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Is it exciting for you to make the transition onto a show with older kids?
Taylor Momsen> It’s totally a blast. I’m having so much fun. Everyone is so great. I am younger, obviously, and it’s a reality check. They treat me like such an individual, which I totally appreciate and love. But then, they’ll go out, and I have to go home and do homework.
MediaBlvd> Did you and Penn Badgley sit down and talk about the brother/sister relationship of your characters?
Taylor> We didn’t really sit down, but at the beginning of filming, he said, “I don’t have a little sister. I don’t really get you.” And then, by the end of the pilot, he was like, “No, don’t talk to him. He can’t talk to you.” He’s protective now. He’s like a big brother to me.
MediaBlvd> Do you have an older brother, yourself?
Taylor> No, I’m the oldest. I think that’s the only time I’m actually the oldest. I’m always the baby. I’m the baby in my school, and I’m the baby on the show. I have a little sister who’s 10. Her name is Sloane, and she’s awesome. I love her. She looks just like me.
MediaBlvd> Does she want to be an actress too?
Taylor> She already does act. She’s done a couple things, like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and stuff like that.
MediaBlvd> Are you living with your parents in New York?
Taylor> I’m living with my mom and my sister. We moved into Tribeca. We have an apartment there, in a new building. It’s really nice. We’re really excited. It’s going to be great. I love SoHo, and I love that area.
MediaBlvd> Were you a fan of The OC?
Taylor> I was a little younger when the show came on. I was a little too young for it, so I probably watched a couple episodes of the last season. But, some of my friends were obsessed with it and were literally crying when it was over. I was like, “It’s okay, Gossip Girl is coming on!”
MediaBlvd> Had you been familiar with the Gossip Girl books at all?
Taylor> I had read a couple of them. My friends are obsessed with them. They read them constantly and tell me what happens. It’s kind of strange. I don’t want to read them all now because it’s going to spoil the scripts for me, every week. But, I’m sure they’ll change it.
MediaBlvd> Do you text, or have a Sidekick?
Taylor> I am obsessed with texting. I don’t really have a Sidekick type of phone. I have a nail polish painted phone. It’s fun. I can change the color every week. You just take it off with nail polish remover. It works great. But, I can text 24/7. It’s crazy. I can do it without looking now. It’s my new thing. My mom sees me and says, “Taylor, it’s like you’re doing braille or something.”
MediaBlvd> Are you home-schooled?
Taylor> I go to a public high school now. In New York, I’m going to be going into a public performing arts school. They’ll give me my work, and they’ll work with me. When I have to go on the set, I’ll be in a tutor program, but it’s the work from the school, so I can drop back into class on a day I’m not working. It will be really great.
MediaBlvd> Do you have friends that aren’t in the business?
Taylor> Most of my friends are not in the business. I have a couple who are, but most of my friends are just from my school. We go hang out and do normal stuff. We go shopping, go to the movies, go hang out at the normal places. It’s great.
MediaBlvd> Aren’t you going to miss them when you go to New York?
Taylor> I will, but I live in Maryland right now, so it’s not that far away. Actually, one of my friends has already planned to come up and visit me. It’s going to be great.
MediaBlvd> Are you ready for the fame this is going to bring you?
Taylor> I haven’t even really thought about that. To me, I’m just Taylor. I don’t think of myself as anything else. My friends don’t either. Just randomly, someone came up to me in the mall before the show even aired and was like, “Oh, my God! Aren’t you the girl from Gossip Girl? We saw the promo.” It was just some random person. I was with my friends and they were like, “Oh, my God! We’re not going to be able to go to the mall.” It was so weird.
MediaBlvd> What are you hoping you’ll get to do on the show?
Taylor> I don’t really have one thing that I hope. I’m sure whatever they come up with is going to be great. The writers are amazing and, so far, it’s been awesome. If I had to make a prediction, I’m guessing Jenny’s going to be a little more involved with the whole dynamic of the upper inner circle.
ED WESTWICK (as Chuck Bass)
An emerging young British actor trained at the National Youth Theatre in London, Ed Westwick was recently seen in two high profile features, Children of Men, opposite Clive Owen and Julianne Moore, and Breaking and Entering, opposite Jude Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Wright Penn. The 20-year-old will next be seen in the supernatural thriller 100 Feet, in which he plays a handsome jewelry delivery boy, who begins a heated affair with a woman (played by X-Men star Famke Janssen) that is under house arrest. And, his indie Son of Rambow premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, creating such a buzz that it sold for the highest amount.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you get involved with this project?
Ed Westwick> Well, I decided to come out to L.A. to audition. I had representatives out here, so I wanted to see what was going on, meet some people and do some things. I got in touch with the script, thought it was fantastic and decided it would be good to go in on it. And, I got the job, which I’m very happy about.
MediaBlvd> Is it fun to play the slick bad boy?
Ed> It’s fun to play the bad boy because there’s a mysterious dynamic that Chuck brings to the whole group. It’s fun to be the spice. It looks like he’s going to be the one manipulating people and mixing things up.
MediaBlvd> What is his backstory?
Ed> There’s a lot of avenues you can go down with him. In the pilot, we were introduced to the family. All we got was this mysterious background with this astronomical wealth. His family owns the hotel, and that conveys that he will take what he wants. We are products of our parents and our upbringing, so there is going to be a lot to do with the parents, his background and the way he is, in general. We take a lot from our parents
MediaBlvd> How did you get started in acting while you were home in England?
Ed> Well, I did small amateur stuff in small theaters, as a kid. I didn’t train. I’d had some theater training. I became a member of the National Youth Theatre, when I was 16 and was over here. I did a few jobs, then came to the States, and it just all came together.
MediaBlvd> Did you feel a camaraderie with the rest of the cast, right away?
Ed> Definitely. It’s really good. We all hit it off, straight away, and I think that’s really important. Co-workers, crew, the producers, everyone just seemed like such a nice group of people, which is important in enabling you to work to the best of your ability. You’ve got to be comfortable doing things. We do some quite insane stuff. I had just met Taylor Momsen and, all of a sudden, I was supposed to be trying to date rape her. She’s a young girl and I had no experience in that kind of thing. We had that trust. It’s important to get along with people, and we do. It’s great.
MediaBlvd> Had you watched The OC, or were you familiar with that type of show, back at home?
Ed> We got it in England and, of course, it was very popular there, as it was here, but I didn’t watch it religiously. I caught it now and again. But, I was aware of what was going on. I just feel privileged to be mentioned in the same breath as The OC because it means we are doing something that people are expecting will be good.
MediaBlvd> Were the Gossip Girl books popular in England?
Ed> I was not actually aware of them, but maybe I just missed them. I think they’ve sold internationally. Obviously, America is their number one market, but I think people were aware of them, and are going to be more aware of them, now that our show has been pre-sold to a channel in England. It’s definitely out there, on the international market.
MediaBlvd> Are you prepared for the level of fame this kind of show will bring?
Ed> I just deal with things as they come. I like to think that I’m quite a down-to-earth person. It’s all very fun, and things can come around quickly, but then things can go away quickly. So, I’m just going to enjoy life and see what happens.
MediaBlvd> Are you going to be a part of the party scene in New York?
Ed> I don’t know. I’m underage still. It’s a fantastic city and I’m excited to see what’s happening there, definitely.
MediaBlvd> Are you thinking about suggesting any storylines for your character?
Ed> Maybe I can earn that influence, but right now I’m the actor and it’s my job to bring the story to life. So, I’ll let them do their job, if they let me do mine.
MediaBlvd> What was your equivalent of high school like, when you were growing up?
Ed> American high school is all about being popular, prom kings and prom queens, and things like that. It wasn’t exactly the same as that, but everyone gossips. It’s part of human nature. We’re curious animals. So, everyone had their little groups. There were the cool kids and the not so cool kids.
MediaBlvd> Were you a cool kid?
Ed> I hope so. I tell myself that. But, there were different groups. That’s what people do. They find people that they like, and then, as you go through life, you separate. You are who you are, and then, you become different people.
MediaBlvd> Are you the kind of guy who likes to text?
Ed> I need to get a new phone. I had a UK number, which I’m going to be getting rid of.
MediaBlvd> Why do you think there are so many UK actors in new TV series this year?
Ed> A lot of English people have been recruited this year. I think it’s mainly because there’s such a wide variety of work in the States. There’s such a rich amount of work, and it’s stuff that would be really fun to do and be involved with. Gossip Girl is a fantastic thing to be involved with. I’m excited about it.
