Many stars left the CW gossip Girlincluding actors Blake Lively and Penn Badgely, but many famous actors appeared on the teen drama in smaller roles, and their performances were largely forgotten. The show ran from 2007 to 2012, following the privileged, confusing and dramatic lives of a group of teenage friends living on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside. The show developed a fervent fan base with teenage girls, becoming one of the network’s best-performing shows while it was still running.
The CW show elevated several of the Gossip Girl cast to fame, though some of them already had a growing portfolio of recognizable TV shows and films. However, several actors who are now famous appeared on the show before their big hits. Other already famous actors had small and extremely forgettable roles in the series. Ultimately, all of the teen drama’s actors played an important role in the series’ success, even if they aren’t remembered for appearing in gossip Girl.
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Brittany Snow as Lily Van Der Woodsen
Although Brittany Snow is now famous for her roles in Pitch perfect film series and Ti West’s horror film Xshe had an appearance in an episode in gossip Girl as the young version of the character Lily Van Der Woodsen in Season 2, Episode 24, “Valley Girls.” The episode finds Lily running away from home to live with her rejected sister, Carol. The adult version of the characters is reserved, cold and demure, which is a far cry from Snow’s portrayal of the wild, rebellious and irresponsible young Lily.
The opposing personalities can easily be explained by the intervening two decades. There is a significant difference in the life experience, maturity and values of a teenager compared to a 41-year-old woman. Interestingly, Brittany Snow never had to audition for the role, as the producers had her in mind from the beginning (via CW source). Although “Valley Girls” was a secret pilot, The CW decided not to continue the prequel show.
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Hilary Duff as Olivia Burke
Before his role in gossip GirlHilary Duff was best known for her role as the title character on the early 2000s Disney show. Lizzie McGuire. More recently, she gained notoriety for her roles in Younger and How I met your father. However, she also played an interesting role in Dan Humphrey’s character arc in gossip Girl season 3. Duff’s Olivia Burke is an actress studying at NYU who wants a normal college experience, preferring to keep her fame a secret.
Burke struggles to balance her education, her career, and her growing romance with Dan. Although she only appears in 6 episodes she is memorable for the college bucket list that her boyfriend helps her finish before she leaves for her next film projectt. This includes a threesome between her, Dan and Vanessa, helping Dan realize his love for his best friend. She has a small cameo at the end of gossip Girl this is easy to miss. She and Lola Rhodes are the two actresses who star in the film adaptation of Ivy Dickens’ book. Ivy League.
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Melissa Fumero as Zoe
Although Melissa Fumero is now known for her iconic role as Amy Santiago in Brooklyn Nine-Ninethe actress had a small role as Zoe in gossip Girl before he got his big break. Although the character appeared uncredited in a Season 1 episode, she became notable when she met Blair Waldorf at Columbia University. Zoe is a groupie of Blair’s, developing a parasocial relationship with her after following her life through Gossip Girl news..
The obsessive fan turns on her idol after Gossip Girl reveals that Blair didn’t get into Columbia, but later becomes her servant. Zoe joins the Hamilton House secret society alongside Serena and Blair. In her final episode, Zoe throws a chocolate fountain at her. Zoe’s personality contrasts sharply with Amy Santiago, as the former is easily manipulated, formal, and petty, while the latter is type A, kind, and down-to-earth. These drastically different roles showcase the diversity of Melissa Fumero’s acting abilities.
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Sebastian Stan as Carter Baizen
Before Sebastian Stan gained fame for playing Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he played Carter Baizen in gossip Girl. Besides his sense of humor, Bucky is nothing like Baizen – an intriguing, manipulative and duplicitous man. Carter Baizen went to school with gossip Girlmain characters, although much older than them. Although he presented himself as an honest humanitarian, gossip Girl quickly reveals that he developed a substance use disorder and gambling addiction while abroad.
He begins manipulating everyone on the Upper East Side to get money to pay off his debts and finance his addiction. Unfortunately, even when he recovers, he continues to behave in a cruel and manipulative manner. He’s so desperate for Serena’s affection that he doesn’t care if he has to lie about meeting her father to get her attention. He demonstrates this same type of behavior when he asks a woman to marry him just so he can use her money to pay off his debts.
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Gina Torres as Gabriela Abrams
Iconic actress Gina Torres may be best known for starring in Suits, Fireflyand 9-1-1 Lone Starbut she also had a 2 episode arc gossip Girl Season 3 as Gabriela Abrams, Vanessa Abrams’ mother. She maintains very progressive values that go against almost every family in the series. Despite his understandable views on social justice, Gabriela is the perfect example that everyone in gossip Girl is a terrible person somehow.
The mother may care about people other than herself, but she is dismissive, rude, and mean to her own child. She refuses to acknowledge or praise her son’s success, berating him instead. Fortunately, there appears to be some sort of resolution between Gina and Vanessa because the latter is moving back in with her parents in gossip Girl season 4.
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Aaron Tveit as Tripp van der Bilt
Aaron Tveit is a renowned Broadway actor and has carved out a memorable on-screen career with his performances in Les Miserables and Graceland, but he also had a short stint as recurring character Tripp Van Der Bilt on Gossip Girl. Tripp is Nate Archibald’s distant cousin and harbors hostility towards his cousin because of his withdrawn grandfather, William Van Der Bilt, who makes them compete for love.
Tripp initially seems like a shallow guy due to being obsessed with and dating a 16-year-old boy; however, he is much worse than he seems at first glance. He becomes controlling, obsessive and manipulative towards Serena. The character doesn’t care that his poorly hidden affair could ruin a teenager’s life and destroy his family. He also puts his political aspirations ahead of anyone and anything else, betraying others if it can help him get ahead. Ultimately, Tripp is a walking red flag, and it’s satisfying to see Nate punch him in the face.
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Kristin Bell as herself
Actress Kristen Bell may become famous for playing Eleanor Shellstrop in the NBC series The good place and Joanne on Netflix Nobody wants thatbut the actress secretly appeared in every episode of the original gossip Girl. If fans of the series remember it, it’s almost certain that Kristin Bell played the faceless, sarcastic narrator in gossip Girl for all six seasons. His voice has become practically synonymous with the franchise, even reprising his role in the HBO revival, despite some people not recognizing his name and face in conjunction with the show.
However, Bell also had a small on-screen cameo in the show, which is often overlooked. In the final episode of gossip GirlKristen Bell and Rachel Bilson, as themselves, rehearse for an audition for the film adaptation of Dan Humphrey’s book, with Bell playing Serena and Bilson playing Blair. Bell’s role makes fun of herself because the fictional version of the character is less than enthusiastic about reading lines for gossip Girl.
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Katie Cassidy as Juliet Sharp
Before Katie Cassidy appeared as Laurel Lance and Dinah Laurel Lance, aka two versions of Black Canary in the Arrowverse, she played the mischievous Juliet Sharp in gossip Girl. Although not immediately known to the series’ main characters, JJuliet came to New York with a vendetta against Serena Van Der Woodsen because her brother Ben was falsely accused of rape. after he blurred the lines between appropriate and inappropriate with Serena while acting as her boarding school teacher. While she targets Serena, it is later revealed that Lily Van Der Woodsen did it.
Juliet creates division among the core group of friends because she is Nate Archibald’s girlfriend in season 4 of Gossip Girl, but she is also making Serena’s life hell. Ultimately, Katie Cassidy’s role on the series was forgotten because fans hated her character and were happy when Juliet left the series.
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Willa Holland as Agnes Andrews
How does she Arrow co-star Willa Holland appeared as Agnes Andrew – one of the most hated gossip Girl supporting characters – before being cast as Thea McQueen, aka Speedy, in the Arrowverse. Agnes is a model who becomes involved with Jenny’s fashion design aspirations, taking advantage of her talents. The character is rude, authoritarian, irresponsible and vindictive. However, she gives Jenny the validation she can’t get anywhere else, leading the pair to create an independent fashion company, separate from Eleanor Waldorf.
Jenny should never have done business with Agnes, and she was entirely right to part ways with her freeloading business partner. Unfortunately, Agnes burns all of Jenny’s drawings and throws her into the street. When Holland’s character returns for an episode in gossip Girl in season three, she pretends to be friendly with Jenny only to drug her. Ultimately, no matter whether an individual loves Jenny or hates her, she undoubtedly did not deserve Agnes Andrews’ appalling treatment.