'Gossip Girl': Which cast members will succeed once the show ends?

 

There comes a moment in most TV series' run when even the most faithful fans have to acknowledge that the show doesn't have much time left. For "Gossip Girl," I fear that time is upon us. All the signs are there: Most of the characters are stuck in a tiresome holding pattern, with Chuck and Blair breaking up and reuniting on just about every episode, while Serena still can't decide whether she's meant to be with Dan or Nate. And it's been ages since other characters (hello, Vanessa) have had a substantial, compelling story line.

"Gossip Girl's" core cast is beginning to seem restless, too. Last month, around the time that his breakup with Blake Lively made the news, Penn Badgley didn't seem too excited about the show in a conversation with Page Six. "It's the fourth season. It's become routine," he said, before revealing that he is "not friends" with his co-stars Jessica Szohr and Ed Westwick. Less than two weeks later, Chace Crawford admitted to Vulture that his character, Nate Archibald, is so stupid "it's gotten funny."

It's only fair, then, to start wondering what's in store for the cast once Gossip Girl gives her final "XOXO." I've taken a look at the original seven stars' current and future projects to predict who will succeed post-"Gossip Girl" -- and who may be doomed to the same quasi-obscurity as, well, most of "The O.C." cast.

Blake Lively

A co-star in the hit film adaptation of beloved young adult novel "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," Blake Lively was the best-known "Gossip Girl" from the very beginning. More than three years into the show's run, she remains its biggest star. Despite the fact that her role as Serena van der Woodsen doesn't require much in the way of serious acting, Lively has managed to land several key movie roles. So far, she's made a lot of good decisions: by taking substantial roles in indie films ("The Private Life of Pippa Lee"), Oscar bait ("The Town"), and blockbuster comic-book adaptations (2011's "Green Lantern") alike, she's setting herself up for a versatile career. Her name has already been mentioned in connection with some of the buzziest upcoming movies, from "The Dark Night Rises" to Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" (Lively was being considered for the role of Daisy Buchanan but lost it to Carey Mulligan).

Outlook: Excellent. Lively, with her thick, blonde hair, thin but curvy silhouette and throaty voice, has always reminded me a bit of Scarlett Johansson. If she plays her cards right, their careers might start to look pretty similar, too.

 

Taylor Momsen

Now, hear me out. We've all seen our share of horrifying Taylor Momsen headlines: She flashed her boobs in public, praised her vibrator, inspired Tim Gunn's hatred, and is really, really angry at her parents. But the lifelong actress (perhaps you've seen the Shake 'n Bake commercial she did at 3?) may be savvier than she looks. Since joining the "Gossip Girl" cast, Momsen hasn't done much outside of acting -- but she is fronting punk-tinged rock band The Pretty Reckless. Their music isn't bad, and Momsen actually has a strong voice for rock 'n roll. She also has some fairly powerful fashion-world allies, as the face of Madonna's Material Girl clothing line and the muse for John Galliano's newest perfume, Parlez-moi d'Amour. Over the summer, Momsen fired her stylist and has since taken a lot of criticism for her revealing ensembles and comically smudgy eyes. Whether you like her look or not, her insistence on defining herself sets her apart from just about every other star her age.

Outlook: Potentially very good. As long as she steers clear of Lindsay Lohan-style meltdowns, Momsen's bad-girl persona just might become her personal brand. She may end up more successful in music and fashion than in Hollywood, but it appears that she may not mind that at all.

 

Leighton Meester

Although she might be "Gossip Girl's" best actor and spent years doing small TV parts before landing the role of Blair, Meester isn't a Lively-level star yet. (It occurs to me that this isn't entirely dissimilar to the way Serena always steals Blair's thunder on the show.) She's done a lot of not-particularly-great teen movies and also popped up in romantic comedies such as the Tina Fey/Steve Carrell disappointment "Date Night" and Drew Barrymore/Justin Long vehicle "Going the Distance." Meester has a raft of movies on the horizon, including "The Roommate," in which she plays a psychotic college girl. But it's January's "Country Strong," where she'll take a supporting role alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, that has the potential to break her out of the teen-movie ghetto. An auspicious preview clip suggests that her singing in the film will be more enjoyable than the few bland pop singles she's released.

Outlook: At this point, Meester's future is uncertain. Her success may depend largely on how she's received in "Country Strong."

 

Penn Badgley

Earlier this fall, Badgley and Lively announced that they had ended their nearly three-year relationship. That breakup, and what happened next, may serve as a good metaphor for where each of their careers is heading. In the past few weeks, tabloids have spotted Lively with everyone from Ryan Gosling to Leonardo DiCaprio. As for Badgley, well, we haven't heard much about what he's up to. Before "Gossip Girl," he did a few fairly small parts in teen films including the horrible "John Tucker Must Die." And things haven't changed much since he started playing Dan Humphrey. Last year, he starred in "The Stepfather," a thriller that was met with abysmal reviews and did poorly at the box office. While September's "Easy A" was lots of fun, it was also all about Emma Stone -- and Badgley's love-interest role felt a bit too similar to Lonely Boy. But I'm intrigued by his upcoming role in "Margin Call," a film about the financial crisis that also stars Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, and Kevin Spacey. Might Badgley finally get a shot at doing some real acting, alongside talented actors?

Outlook: It depends. If his role in "Margin Call" is a significant departure from the teen nice-guy roles he's known for and if he does a good job with it, then Badgley has a shot. But if he keeps taking Dan Humphrey parts, then he might not have much of a career left when he starts looking too old to play a teenager.

 

Ed Westwick

Considering his rakish good looks, across-the-pond charms and predilection for dark, decadent characters, Ed Westwick should be well on his way to becoming the new Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Why, then, do we hear so little about his work outside of "Gossip Girl"? Before landing the show, Westwick cut his teeth on artsy films, taking small roles in "Children of Men" and "Son of Rambow." More recently, he's switched over to scarier fare -- the unsatisfying "Donnie Darko" sequel "S. Darko" and Syfy-to-DVD slasher flick "100 Feet." Forthcoming projects include "Chalet Girl," a chick-lit adaptation, and "Trap for Cinderella," a remake of a '60s French film about a girl who experiences amnesia after surviving a fire that killed her friend. Frankly, neither of these sound like roles that will help Westwick pave the way for a long, interesting career. He needs a part that takes him out of his smirky, seductive comfort zone. 

Outlook: If Westwick fails to land a more compelling role soon, he'll be typecast as Chuck Bass, and the future may be bleak. But if he manages to persuade someone that he can do more than just growl and leer, he could very well turn out to be the most versatile of the "Gossip Girl" guys.

 

Jessica Szohr

Westwick's on-again, off-again girlfriend actually came into "Gossip Girl" with more experience than much of the young cast, having guested on a handful of Disney shows and played recurring roles on "CSI: Miami" and ABC's short-lived "What About Brian." Since landing the show, she's appeared in straight-to-video fare, taken fairly small roles in teen flicks like "Fired Up," and scored a spot in last summer's trash-tastic "Piranha 3D." There is some hope, though: Szohr's next two projects, both slated for 2011 release, are two fairly buzzy indie flicks, the sci-fi "Hirokin" and "Art Machine," about a bipolar painting prodigy who falls in with a group of anarchist artists.

Outlook: Too soon to say. Szohr is smart to go the indie route, considering that her ever-diminishing "Gossip Girl" role was never going to make her a mainstream star. If her upcoming films are good -- and she's good in them -- they may pave the way for roles far better than Vanessa.

Chace Crawford

Poor Chase Crawford. He is a very good-looking guy, and it's nice to know that he comprehends the stupidity of his "Gossip Girl" character. The role of Nate doesn't give him much of a chance to prove his acting skills, and the pretty-boy film parts he's done reflect what may be a lack of range. Even Joel Schumacher, who directed him in "Twelve," admits that he objectified Crawford, who plays a young Upper East Side drug dealer in the film. Worse yet,"Twelve's" trailer resembles nothing more than a "Gossip Girl" promo, and Sundance audiences laughed out loud at the drama. At least Crawford will have another shot in next year's "Peace, Love, and Understanding," where he'll play the love interest of Catherine Keener's teenage daughter in a movie that also stars Jane Fonda. 

Outlook: Not so great. He may still surprise us, but the way things are going, Crawford is liable to end up in Luke Perry-style limbo once he's no longer a teen dreamboat. If he wants to escape that fate, he going to have to show some talent and range, and fast.

-- Judy Berman
twitter.com/judyberman

Photos, from top: Serena and Blair; Blake Lively as Serena Van Der Woodsen; Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey; Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf; Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey; Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass; Jessica Szohr as Vanessa Abrams; Chase Crawford as Nate Archibald. Credits: Giovanni Rufino / The CW

Comments

[LILLIAN NJOGU]

Your show always rocks and it doesnt matter how much i get to repeat from season one coz it doesn't get boring,nice job 2 u all esp Dan and Serena

[Key]

Please stop it with the Blake Lively hype, her PR is working overtime.

Blakes career looks good on paper but not in reality. She wasn't even close to getting the part in Great Gatsby, in fact she didn't even get a call back. Her people just have a way of making her look more in demand than she really is, ie leaking that DiCaprio story to make her look like she's in the running when even Scarlett had met with them the same week and nothing was heard. It's the same with that Dark Knight rumor, that's just WB putting her name in the running to make it seem like choosing her for Green Lantern was a good choice.

If her performance is anything like what the trailer makes it out to be then we're looking at the next Jessica Alba, not Scarlett in any way.

You've also left out the part where she's not particularly talented and still hasn't been the star of a successful movie like Scarlett was with Lost in Translation. Right now all she has is being the weakest link of Pippa Lee and a 10 minute part in 'the Town' which she has pimped into infinity. Green Lantern is what will really make her a hit or a miss with people. I'm inclined to believe it's more of a miss since superhero movies always only helps the male star.

I guess I'm sick of seeing her name with successful actors who have actually deserved to get where they are. Lively has done NOTHING to prove she's got what it takes on screen. She can't even speak clearly. She's all surface, no depth or talent.

[AndreaU8]

Chace Crawford? He is just so pretty (probably not what a boy wants to hear)
Blake Lively? Great looking with the funkiest mouth ever!
Ed Westwick? He is good looking? Please and what? All of five feet tall!
Penn Badgley? The world is full of guys who are actually cute. I imagine this one has lots of ear hair for some reason.
and Taylor Momsen? Just a raccoon.

XOXO!

[Oxymoron06]

I think Blake Lively will definetly have the best shot at making it IF she keeps choosing the right roles. Shes done a great job of selecting a diverse range and by being seen with BIG A list stars. However from the trailer of The Green Lantern it seems like it will be critically panned but thats more to do with Ryan Reynolds; he is the wrong person for that role as he is too much a class clown - hes stuck in his Van Wilder stage it seems. I hope she keeps on selecting a good range of roles cos I really like her.

Leighton Meester also has a good shot but I think early on she picked too many random small unforgettable roles. She needs to be a bit more selective. And I think she was too quick to go the music route as thats now practically dead and buried. I dont think The Roomate is a great choice as its too much of a teeny movie which isnt going to be THAT big. But Country Song is a great choice.

I thought Penn Badgely would have gone the indie route cos he "looks" the part but hes decided to do cheesy teen movies. As for the rest of the cast the future doesnt look as bright.

[Oxymoron06]

*forgettable

[Full of Bull]

This article fails to mention Meester's roles in The Oranges. And her films aim at all demographics; just because they all won't be up for Oscars or making millions at the box office doesn't mean those demos do not matter to sustain a long career.

Taylor Momsen was given time off to prove herself with music. Leighton hasn't because her character and acting plays a pivotal role on GG; I'm sure if given the chance, Leighton may surprise.

One more thing, Good Girls Go Bad made the top ten world wide and sold millions. Cobra Starship didn't have a hit before nor after it though.

[Full of Bull]

Date Night:
Budget $55 million
Gross revenue $152,233,329
68% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.com

That's a flop?!

[Ella]

I actually hope Ed Westwick gets a new agent or PR people to get him some better roles and press b/c he is actually quite talented. Of the guys on the show, he is by far the best actor. Blake is overrated in my opinion, but she is quite charming and does have that "it" factor going for her. Leighton is also a talented actress, but I'm not sure she's as smart as Blake. Country Strong will certainly help her cause as long as she does a decent job in it. I can't really see Chace or Jessica blowing up after this show ends...and Penn could really go either way. Personally I have not been overly impressed with him on GG. His light and comical scenes are fine, but in any dramatic scene he falls flat. Last, I hate to admit it, but Taylor is a talented actress AND she actually has a great voice. Too bad she carries herself in such a miserable manner and seems like a nightmare to be around. The raccoon eyes and bleached extensions only make matters worse.

[D]

Ed is not in Trap for Cinderella. While IMDB says he is in the film, no other source has confirmed this news. One of the stars of Chalet Girl tweeted a fan site confirming Ed and she were not in Trap for Cinderella. Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/TamsinOEgerton/status/29562742408

[Beth]

I think Leighton Meester should stick with television. I don't really see her carrying movies; she just doesn't have that It Girl persona or presence. She's especially good at funny stuff, so I say put her in a sitcom or a black comedy the next time around.

Blake Lively will have a long and annoying career in the movies.

Penn is a question mark. He is talented enough but has never had a role that really demanded a lot of him (that I've seen, and I've seen him in more than any other cast member). He also has that manchild look working against him.

Ed Westwick is overrated on GG. He is only as good as the writing, like most actors, and he doesn't bring enough nuance to the character to make him really likable except to teenaged fangirls who live for his manpain. Ian Somerhalder is doing a lot better with a similar role on TVD -- both actors play their bad boys campily, but Damon is a thousand times more sympathetic in part because everything he feels is on Ian's face.

Jessica Szohr is wooden as hell on GG. Horrible part, and she does nothing with it. With the right part on a TV show, I could see her doing okay.

Chace Crawford... I am torn. He brings no nuance to Nate and is only really good at playing happy, fratty, jocky Nate, which is when his own personality shines through. He seems like such a funny, normal guy, but I'm not really seeing how he'll succeed as an actor after GG. There are a lot of good looking twenty-something guys out there who can act just as well as he can, and have more personality while doing so. Footlose was a big get for him, but then it fell through...

Taylor Momsen is a very good actress. From what I've heard of her music, she's also a good singer. She is very talented, but she doesn't seem to have the kind of guidance and support net I would wish for any child star. I hope she makes it through this stage relatively unscathed and drug free (fingers crossed) and has a chance to use her talents.

[Jamie]

I see Blake as more of a next Katherine Heigl than Scarlett. She just hasn't proven any sort of emotional depth in her acting at all (even in her 10 minute stint in The Town - hating her character in it would be like kicking a pathetic puppy). She does also have the advantage of having family who's in the business though.

Regardless, I don't think it's particularly fair to judge any of them by their previous roles. You do what you have to to get noticed and if that means doing teen slashers or small tv roles, then so be it.

[WhiteLies]

On the show, Westwick and Meester are by far the best actors, the only ones able to show some emotions on their faces. As far as their chance to have a long-lasting and worthy (not necessarily hugely successful at the box office) career is concerned, I agree that their choices in the immediate future will be very crucial. One thing Ed has going for him is that, being English, he has more chances in landing an interesting role in an indie or not-so-mainstream british/european movie that will give him more credit especially as a character actor. None of these young actors, though, seems to have that extra factor that will definitely help them escape the "teen-show actors" fate after GG is over, the worst of all being Lively and Crawford in my opinion.

[Max10]

Leighton deserves more credit than that. She has 2 more movies coming up, Oranges and Monte Carlo, plus huge beauty endorsements - herbal essences and an upcoming Vera Wang perfume. I think she has a long way to go.

[soso]

I am sure Leighton Meester will have the best career out of them all. However, only time will tell...

[Yop]

Blake!?
She's a gorgeous blonde with fabulous assets. But she can't act. Her acting in "The Town" was overestimate (PR -WB is working hard); she looks hilariously bad in "The Green Lantern" trailer. Thoughts on her career, where it's going? She's very pretty, but I just don't think she has the talent to be an A-List star. Certainly, she doesn't have the acting chops to compete with a lot of her peers: Hathaway, Knightley, Page, Portman, Mulligan.

[Autumn]

I agree with whoever said that one thing Ed Westwick has going for him is the fact that he's British, because if nothing else, he could build his career back in the UK doing period films and so forth until he breaks out of his 'Chuck Bass' mold a little bit. lol. Or at least I wish he could star in something with Carey Mulligan too someday because those two would be an interesting pairing indeed. ;)

As far as the rest of the cast, Leighton might do okay in TV or movies, as long as she doesn't get typecast as 'Blair' all the time, although I could definitely see her eventually take some 'time off' to get married and have a couple kids in a few years too.

Blake Lively will be as successful as her PR managers make her, and since her family's in the entertainment industry, we'll probably see much more of her in the years to come.

The rest of them, who knows? Penn could be the next 'round-about TV actor' who pops up in a variety of TV shows until something sticks again post-GG. Chase and Jessica might be set for indie obscurity or modelling from time to time. who knows? And Taylor, her music and fashion could do her well if that's her passion, and as long as she survives the next 10 years, she could reenter the world of acting in her mid-late 20s and still do well, if she wants.

[S]

Overall this cast is pretty talented.
Ed is a great actor (much better than Ian Somerhalder and his "eyebrow acting" in my opinion.
Leighton is extremely consistent and Blake sure knows how to manage her career.
Taylor is very talented as well

[Crystal]

I think Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester have biggest chance of succeeding outside of Gossip Girl. They are both very talented.

I like Chace Crawford but I can't see him making it far in his career, he has very weak acting skills.

Same with Blake Lively, I think she is going too have a similer career as Sarah Jessica Parker's...making a lot of lame rom coms and known more for her TV show and being considered a fashion icon by the fashion magazines than for her movie career. She just doesn't have the acting chops to become an A list actress with a respected and established acting career.

[Leighton is also a talented actress, but I'm not sure she's as smart as Blake]

I don't think Blake is that smart because she goes for roles way out of her league and has no chance of getting (The Great Gatsby's Daisy being one example), her not having anything lined up beyond Green Lantern and Gossip Girl was starting to get noticed. It's probably why she picked the movie Hick.