The biggest reboot of the season has assembled a stellar cast. Fans have noted how the Gossip Girl reboot on HBO Max features names from different spheres of culture, which makes the show so interesting. Tavi Gevinson, for instance, who takes over the mantle of Gossip Girl this year (technically, she’s one of the people behind the social account) is an icon in her own right, who has had a voice in fashion since she was 11 years old!
Evan Mock, who plays Akeno, is a skater, model, and photographer who is friends with Travis Scott and even photographed the rapper during his Astroworld tour. Many names from the leading roster, like Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, and Whitney Peak have already made an impact on pop culture and have been a part of quite a few noteworthy shows and films, too.
Jordan Alexander/ Sacred Lies
The role of Julien Calloway, Constance Billard School for Girls’ Queen Bee is played by actor Jordan Alexander, who is also a musician. Before Gossip Girl, Alexander was known for her work in the anthology drama Sacred Lies on Facebook Watch. She played a foster kid named Elsie who struggles to recall a song that could help her uncover secrets about her biological mother. In the Gossip Girl reboot, of course, her role contrasts with her past character, since the Gossip Girl reboot's Julien is a privileged kid who comes from an affluent and stable home, so the role could be a testament to her range.
Emily Alyn Lind/ Revenge
Emily Alyn Lind is perhaps best known for her recurring role in the crime drama Revenge starring Emily VanCamp in the lead role.
Lind played the younger version of VanCamp’s character Amanda who was a fierce anti-heroine with a vendetta. It would be really interesting to see if Lind's character Audrey projects some grey shades in HBO Max's GG reboot since she's clearly a rule-breaker, and is actually developing to be one of the most complex leads on the show, especially vis-a-vis her romantic priorities.
Thomas Doherty/ Descendants
Thomas Doherty who plays the rebooted Gossip Girl's pansexual bad boy Max Wolfe has a knack for playing the mischief-maker on screen, and is excellent at balancing antagonistic aspects. He plays secondary antagonist Harry Hook in the blockbuster film franchise Descendants where he gradually transforms into a poignant anti-hero with undying loyalty to Uma, Ursula’s daughter, and his best friend. Gossip Girl's Max Wolfe, too, may look like a thrill-seeker but viewers have already sensed some interesting nuances in his role which can be developed into something more intense or profound.
Eli Brown/ Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Eli Brown who plays Otto in the reboot also played the lead role in Pretty Little Liars’ spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on Freeform. Brown played Dylan Walker, a talented cellist who experienced bullying from his peers. Dylan was also quite critical of his own skills but used his passion for classical music to find peace as he felt misunderstood in a small town. This sense of intellect also exists in his Gossip Girl character design; Otto is an activist and someone who stands up for the right cause and he also seems to have self-awareness, especially vis-a-vis his privilege.
Tavi Gevinson/ Neo Yokio
Tavi Gevinson found astonishing success for her voice in fashion. In the Gossip Girl reboot, Gevinson plays Kate Keller, a teacher and one of the primary voices behind the blog Gossip Girl. Gevinson had a starring voice acting role on the popular American-Japanese anime series Neo Yokio which was created by Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig.
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Gevinson voices the role of Helena St Tessero, a fashion blogger, much like herself. Helena becomes disillusioned with a consumerist, capitalist system and becomes its biggest critic. On the Gossip Girl reboot her character Kate also finds a way to speak truth to power, but in a roundabout way. An exploration of the class divide also exists as the working-class teachers wake up to the privilege of their wealthy Upper East sider students in the Gossip Girl reboot.
Zion Moreno/ Control Z
Zion Moreno’s first starring role was in a teen drama that wasn’t all that different from Gossip Girl; Moreno was a part of Netflix teen drama Control Z which also chronicles the lives of a few high school students, plagued by an anonymous virtual entity who is keeping an eye on them and unleashing the worst secrets, not unlike the anonymous Gossip Girl account. Moreno played a student named Isabela who was one of the most popular girls in her school until the anonymous hacker outed her as transgender, which eventually led her to experience bullying and heartbreak. Both shows are anchored by social media and its influence so Moreno is in familiar territory.
Laura Benanti/ Younger
Laura Benanti is a Broadway star, a prolific singer, and is a five-time Tony Award nominee; millennial audiences perhaps know her best from her recurring role as the self-made millionaire Quinn Tyler in Younger. Benanti was recently announced as the newest Gossip Girl cast member, and reports suggest she is set to play a parent.
On Younger, Quinn was at times projected as an antagonist. The role wasn’t particularly meaty or even well-written, but though Quinn only had a four-episode arc, she definitely left a mark. Benanti shines in spunky, taut antagonistic roles that have been designed to be complex. Her comedic experience certainly makes her more watchable and makes her a spontaneous performer, so it'd be interesting to see what role she plays in the reboot.
Whitney Peak/The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina
Whitney Peak plays Zoya Lott and fans already have her pegged as the new Dan Humphrey in The Gossip Girl reboot since she also tries to fit in with an elite group of peers, like Dan. This sense of not belonging was also intensely explored in Peak's TV debut, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina where she played Judith Blackwood, the daughter of Faustus and Constance Blackwood. Zelda Spellman hides the existence of Judith to protect her and takes her to the Spellman household to raise her with the help of Hilda. Judith could not find a place for herself in the dark world or the human world; like Zoya, she too struggles with figuring out who she is.
Tavi Gevinson/ Scream Queen
In 2015 when Scream Queens premiered, Tavi Gevinson was already a fashion veteran. So, it was a delight for her fans when they spotted her on the Ryan Murphy comedy since Scream Queens also influenced fashion. On the show, Gevinson played an ex-kappa named Feather. And though the character had very little in common with Gossip Girl's Kate Keller, Feather shared Gevinson's passion for high street fashion as she was seen in quite a few noteworthy pieces.
Johnathan Fernandez/ Lethal Weapon
Johnathan Fernandez plays Zoya’s dad on the Gossip Girl reboot and he tries to shield Zoya from her half-sister Julien’s toxic social circle by refusing to let her communicate with her. Fernandez was a series regular in the reboot of the cult buddy cop action movie Lethal Weapon, which ran for three seasons. Fernandez played a medical examiner and forensic specialist named Bernard who helped out Roger and Martin with their investigations. Though the two roles have very little in common, Fernandez's character on Gossip Girl may remind viewers of Rufus Humphrey, who tried relentlessly to shield his kids from the shallow, materialistic elitism of the Upper East Side.