Attention Upper East-Siders: Gossip Girl Fans Spot Continuity Errors

As a devoted fan of the iconic series “Gossip Girl,” I find it absolutely fascinating to delve into the behind-the-scenes stories that shaped this beloved show. The tales of how our favorite characters came to be are as captivating as the drama unfolding on screen.

You know you love her, but that doesn’t mean Gossip Girl is without her faults.

Consider, for instance, the first episode of the popular TV show that centers around Manhattan’s high-society teenagers, featuring stars like Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. This debuted on television screens back in 2007.

In that specific episode, TikTok user CaesarSaladMartini highlighted numerous inconsistencies in continuity that seemed implausible as the show progressed across its six seasons.

More prominently, Margaret Colin took over the role of Eleanor Waldorf (Blair Waldorf’s mother) from Florence Lozano in the later episodes, as opposed to her initial casting in the pilot episode.

However, there’s a flaw at the heart of the Gossip Girl website setup. In the first scene of the pilot, a girl takes a picture of Serena Van Der Woodsen (Lively) and the narrator, who is Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell), identifies that girl as the source. This is the sole instance where the site reveals one of its informants. For the rest of the series, all other tipsters remain anonymous, unless they happen to be one of the main characters dishing on their friends.

One way to rephrase the given text in a more natural and easy-to-read manner could be:

As an ardent fan, I can’t help but ponder over the peculiar decision of Chuck and Nate Archibald, aka Chace Crawford’s characters, opting to ride the New York City school bus alongside Dan Humphrey, played by Penn Badgley. Given their high-rolling status as a billionaire and a millionaire, respectively, one would expect them to travel in a more lavish manner. Yet, here they are, commuting with the rest of us common folks. It’s a delightful twist that keeps us fans on our toes!

Furthermore, it’s revealed that the apartment where the Waldorfs reside during the pilot episode bears no resemblance to the one they inhabit for the rest of the series.

For more secrets from the Gossip Girl set, read on.

Spotted: Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick delivering major chemistry.

As a die-hard fan, witnessing the final scene of the pilot where Ed’s roguish Chuck Bass and Leighton’s regal Blair Waldorf watched Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) depart from a party with Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen), sparked an idea in co-creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to craft the unforgettable couple.

In that moment, I could feel the electric bond between them – it was undeniably palpable and brimming with fun, just as if it had been there all along. That’s when it truly took root for me.

Stephanie commented, “Watching it felt like an eye-opening experience.” She continued, “It reminded me of ‘Dangerous Liaisons’. It’s as if Valmont and Merteuil were involved, their love and hate for each other fueling their conniving schemes. That story was simply fascinating to delve into.

Yes, Ed was well aware that there was something there with Chair.

He enthusiastically shared with his former co-star Jessica Szohr on her Gossip Girl rewatch podcast, XOXO with Jessica Szohr in February 2022, that he had a fantastic experience collaborating with Leighton. Many found their relationship captivating, and it holds significant value to fans, which is adorable and amusing.

Regarding his genuine relationship with Leighton, he confided in Jessica (playing Dan’s childhood best friend who became something more, Vanessa Abrams), “She’s an exceptional performer. I deeply miss her. We had a fantastic connection, and we would often make each other laugh. At times, I even felt a sense of protection towards her. Yes, she likely brought out the best in me.

During the initial two years of filming, Ed and his on-screen buddy Chace Crawford (portraying the privileged character Nate Archibald) became particularly close since they resided together in real life.

In the TV show XOXO, Ed shared that “Chace suggested we cohabit from the start. He asked, ‘Would you like to share a room together?’ Being someone who had never lived independently before, I agreed casually saying, ‘Why not?’

The British actor shared, “He visited and showed me some peculiar photos, they were images of a corner where ceiling meets the floor. I chuckled at it, saying something along the lines of, ‘Oh, okay. Strange but alright. Whatever you say!’ We then cohabited for the initial two years.

None other than Jennifer Lawrence auditioned to play series lead Serena, the part that ultimately went to Blake.

It wasn’t known then, but it seems Jennifer Lawrence had a strong desire to play Serena and even tried out for the role. This piece of information was passed on to us, and we were informed that she indeed auditioned and felt disappointed upon not getting the part. Josh shared this story with Vulture in 2017.

During his auditions for the character Dan, a Brooklyn-native “Lonely Boy,” Penn sported what Josh and Stephanie remembered as lengthy, “snowboarder-style” hair. On the very first day of shooting, the actor decided to cut off most of it, leaving the production team and network executives in surprise.

Josh reminisced, “Everyone exclaimed, ‘What’s going on? He shaved his head!’ But upon seeing the fresh style, everyone concurred, ‘Wow, he really pulls it off.’

It’s astonishing to think that “Gossip Girl” could have been different if Taylor Momsen wasn’t part of it. It’s hard to imagine this because Lily Collins almost landed the role of Dan’s eager-to-fit-in little sister. In fact, Emily in Paris actress, Lily Collins, disclosed that she went through the entire audition process for the role, expressing her regret to Glamour magazine, “I wanted it so desperately.

David Rapaport, the casting director for “Gossip Girl,” shared some insights with Jessica about the upcoming spinoff focusing on Lily van der Woodsen (played by Kelly Rutherford). The pilot for this series featured Brittany Snow and Krysten Ritter.

As I reflect back, it was Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara, along with several other women who have since become household names, yet were relatively unknown at the time, who came in for an audition. Among them, one performance stood out to me the most – a performance so impressive that I still remember it vividly today, and I believe you’d be particularly interested as you’re friends with Nina Dobrev. In fact, that was one of the best auditions I had ever seen, and for that specific role, it truly shone.

David said he called the network and told them, “She is a super star.”

In the podcast, it appeared that the problem lay in the fact that “the character wasn’t meant to resemble a younger version of Kelly Rutherford, as initially planned.

Still, she stressed to the network that they needed to keep the Degrassi: The Next Generation star on their radar, “‘and you guys need to find something for her,'” he recalled. “I just remember thinking, ‘I am going to think about this girl in a couple of years and be like, ‘Oh god, I missed that opportunity.’ She was so incredible!”

According to Ed’s remarks on the XOXO podcast in 2022, Chuck Bass was initially intended as a guest character appearing in just a handful of episodes.

The actor expressed gratitude that the tycoon took on a larger role in the program, further mentioning his audition experience: “I managed to bypass one part of the testing phase since I didn’t need to audition as a series regular. Instead, I went through two auditions and a screen test, but I never had to test for the network.

Was this an instance of a chance encounter, reminiscent of a romantic meet-cute? The creators of Gossip Girl, Josh and Stephanie, recognized that they had discovered their onscreen counterpart to Vanessa when Adam Brody, with whom they previously worked on The O.C., introduced her as a guest at their Fourth of July pool party.

In one episode of XOXO, Stephanie mentioned that she and Josh hastily rushed towards a computer (since iPhones weren’t around yet) to search for Jessica online, checking if she was indeed an actress.

Josh mentioned that the process of selecting Ed for the role was quite complex. Originally, Ed had tried out for the character Nate, but it was also considered giving the role of Chuck to someone else initially.

In an episode of XOXO with Jessica Szohr, Josh reminisced that he was chosen for the role of Chuck but couldn’t secure a U.S. visa in time due to being from the U.K., causing tension as the network urged him to replace the character.

As we approached the beginning of the pilot, they cautioned us, ‘You guys should decide who your alternate Chuck will be because we’re not confident this will succeed,’ Josh recalled. To which we replied, ‘There isn’t an alternate Chuck. It’s always been Ed.’

The network held off until Ed’s visa was approved, as Josh and Stephanie, his co-creator, were firm about him playing the role of Chuck.

Initially, Kristen Bell was the preferred choice for the voice of Gossip Girl. However, Christina Ricci and Selma Blair were also under consideration as potential options, as suggested by Stephanie, who held an executive producer role.

Following the cancellation of “Veronica Mars” after its third season, it was ultimately Kristen who landed the role. This show had also utilized her voiceover skills, with her as the lead character.

2024-11-07 19:59

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