Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley Reunite and Reflect on Their ‘Gossip Girl’ Days

The former Gossip Girl stars interviewed each other for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ issue.  

After a long hiatus from creating drama on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, our forever crushes, “Nate Archibald” and “Dan Humphrey,” are back together for an interview.  The two stars reunited for Variety‘s Actors on Actors issue and reflected on their time on the teen drama television series and discussed current acting ventures. To all who are strangers to Gossip Girl, this six-season series, laced with scandals galore and heartache, follows the lives of privileged teens living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Spotted: Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford Reunite to Talk About ‘Gossip Girl’ https://t.co/rJftsSgNIi pic.twitter.com/k4vNAVtHZ3

— Variety_TV (@Variety_TV) June 30, 2020

Both actors were quick to compare their current roles to their former Gossip Girl personas. Penn, who played the Brooklyn outsider Dan Humphrey, and Chace, who played the pretentious Park Avenue resident and lacrosse player Nate Archibald, have pursued many other roles since Gossip Girl. Penn revealed that his current role as main protagonist Joe Goldberg on Netflix’s stalker thriller You, shares many parallels with his former role as Dan. Chace also noted, “What’s interesting about Joe — it is almost like an odd continuation of Dan.”  Both actors explained that although they have evolved since Gossip Girl, they cannot seem to escape the niche casting of “despicable white male privileged guys.”

Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley relived their “Gossip Girls” days in an incredible interview! https://t.co/BfObF0ZYqP pic.twitter.com/uKCSLLBzfi

— HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) June 30, 2020

In addition to highlighting similarities between their past and present roles, Penn also noted stark differences. Penn suggested that Gossip Girl was a massive success due to its extravagant plot, “People wanted to watch a show like Gossip Girl because it was aspirational.” He elaborated, “It was like an escape. It seemed like it struck a certain cultural chord because it was this aspirational fantastical vision of excess and wealth. But now, cut to 13 years later, people are not interested in that. And I think rightfully so. Now they’re interested in deconstructing why we’re so fascinated with that in the first place.”  Penn insinuated that, due to the present poisonous political climate and the Black Lives Matter movement, there is now a greater urgency to address reality rather than escape it. 

Loyal fans were quick to voice their support.

Watching Chace Crawford & Penn Badgley talk/interview each other with Variety’s Actors on Actors is so 😊😊. I’m glad they are still working & away from Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl is a pop culture phenom but it’s also 2020 and they’re in their 30s. So happy for them! ❤️

— aly (@notoriousALY) July 1, 2020

Individuals re-iterate that the public does not need another show about opulence and privilege, but rather a show that addresses relevant, real issues.

This has been an enjoyable interview series. And think both actors make some solid points to consider for HBO Max as they plan to go ahead with “Gossip Girl.” Not sure that’s a show people need to see again without turning the initial idea on its head. https://t.co/fwME4Xtk0K

— John Cassillo (@JohnCassillo) June 30, 2020

Make sure you check out this enlightening interview and read more about what the two stars have to say about the portrayal of white privilege in the entertainment industry.