TMC
05-04-2019, 08:22 PM
https://www.thedailybeast.com/leighton-meester-on-growing-out-of-gossip-girl-and-becoming-a-mom-times-have-changed
TOPANGA, California—Upon arriving at the rustic, wood-accented restaurant nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, a bohemian establishment boasting a menu of “locally sourced organic ingredients” and a hearty diet of Elliott Smith, the first thought that crossed my mind was: Blair Cornelia Waldorf wouldn’t be caught dead here.
You see I’m here to meet Leighton Meester, who for five years embodied one of the all-time great television characters on Gossip Girl. A mélange of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Kathryn Merteuil and Reese Witherspoon’s Annette Hargrove, her Queen B reigned over Manhattan’s Upper East Side—a paragon of glamour and bitchiness. Serena van der Woodsen and the rest of the gals at Constance never stood a chance. That Meester’s mantel isn’t lined with Emmys is a crying shame, though perhaps voters will be more partial to her new scene-stealing sitcom role.
Meester’s Angie D’Amato is the heart and soul of Single Parents, a surprisingly funny ABC sitcom from New Girl’s Liz Meriwether and J.J. Philbin. A single mother with a needy young boy, Angie is overwhelmed and, due to her past with men, emotionally guarded. She’s also a bit of an oddball, her two biggest vices being corn chips and death metal (she worships at the altar of Slayer). Fortunately, Angie finds camaraderie in a group of other single parents with young children—Will Cooper (Taran Killam), Douglas Fogerty (Brad Garrett), Poppy Banks (Kimrie Lewis), and Miggy Park (Jake Choi)—who help her navigate the chaos.
It’s been seven years, one marriage (to Adam Brody, of The O.C. fame), one child, and one stint on Broadway since Gossip Girl, and Meester seems, well, content. “It just seems right,” the 33-year-old actress says of Single Parents.
As our brunch interview comes to a close, she motions to a man in a red baseball cap perched at the bar, his head buried in his phone. “Are you watching Bernie Sanders videos over there?” she says, playfully. It’s Brody, her husband of five years. They live nearby, in Cali bohemia, with their daughter Arlo. He smiles, and the two embrace.
Before that, we discussed everything from her unique childhood to parenthood and Single Parents.
How did you and Liz Meriweather connect? Because I remember when your husband guested on New Girl as Zooey Deschanel’s jealous ex.
Right! He’s still in love with her. [Laughs] I had met her before as well—I forget the scenario, whether it was social or work-related, but probably both—throughout the years. And I’m a huge fan of hers. Jason [Winer], who’s directed a lot of Single Parents and is the executive producer, I really like his whole vibe and whole tone—this New Girl-meets-Modern Family vibe. I was like, oh, this is something I can sink my teeth into, and everyone was very supportive of this collaborative experience. We are a squad, and hopefully it translates, but it’s actually like we’re having fun and we’re friends but they’re filming it.
You and Taran Killam, especially, have great chemistry on the show. How early on was that apparent to you?
Early on. At first, the people behind the show were the pitch—J.J. [Philbin] and Liz [Meriweather] and Jason [Winer]—and Taran was already onboard, and I’m a huge fan of his professionally. And the first day I met him, we just ended up talking for over an hour and realizing that we had a lot in common life-wise. He is a very inspiring, supportive, encouraging person who I can go to with almost anything, and who’s pushed me to stand by jokes that I believe in. But somewhere along the line, we were hanging out outside of work, going to karaoke, going to dinners, and our families were hanging out together.
TOPANGA, California—Upon arriving at the rustic, wood-accented restaurant nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, a bohemian establishment boasting a menu of “locally sourced organic ingredients” and a hearty diet of Elliott Smith, the first thought that crossed my mind was: Blair Cornelia Waldorf wouldn’t be caught dead here.
You see I’m here to meet Leighton Meester, who for five years embodied one of the all-time great television characters on Gossip Girl. A mélange of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Kathryn Merteuil and Reese Witherspoon’s Annette Hargrove, her Queen B reigned over Manhattan’s Upper East Side—a paragon of glamour and bitchiness. Serena van der Woodsen and the rest of the gals at Constance never stood a chance. That Meester’s mantel isn’t lined with Emmys is a crying shame, though perhaps voters will be more partial to her new scene-stealing sitcom role.
Meester’s Angie D’Amato is the heart and soul of Single Parents, a surprisingly funny ABC sitcom from New Girl’s Liz Meriwether and J.J. Philbin. A single mother with a needy young boy, Angie is overwhelmed and, due to her past with men, emotionally guarded. She’s also a bit of an oddball, her two biggest vices being corn chips and death metal (she worships at the altar of Slayer). Fortunately, Angie finds camaraderie in a group of other single parents with young children—Will Cooper (Taran Killam), Douglas Fogerty (Brad Garrett), Poppy Banks (Kimrie Lewis), and Miggy Park (Jake Choi)—who help her navigate the chaos.
It’s been seven years, one marriage (to Adam Brody, of The O.C. fame), one child, and one stint on Broadway since Gossip Girl, and Meester seems, well, content. “It just seems right,” the 33-year-old actress says of Single Parents.
As our brunch interview comes to a close, she motions to a man in a red baseball cap perched at the bar, his head buried in his phone. “Are you watching Bernie Sanders videos over there?” she says, playfully. It’s Brody, her husband of five years. They live nearby, in Cali bohemia, with their daughter Arlo. He smiles, and the two embrace.
Before that, we discussed everything from her unique childhood to parenthood and Single Parents.
How did you and Liz Meriweather connect? Because I remember when your husband guested on New Girl as Zooey Deschanel’s jealous ex.
Right! He’s still in love with her. [Laughs] I had met her before as well—I forget the scenario, whether it was social or work-related, but probably both—throughout the years. And I’m a huge fan of hers. Jason [Winer], who’s directed a lot of Single Parents and is the executive producer, I really like his whole vibe and whole tone—this New Girl-meets-Modern Family vibe. I was like, oh, this is something I can sink my teeth into, and everyone was very supportive of this collaborative experience. We are a squad, and hopefully it translates, but it’s actually like we’re having fun and we’re friends but they’re filming it.
You and Taran Killam, especially, have great chemistry on the show. How early on was that apparent to you?
Early on. At first, the people behind the show were the pitch—J.J. [Philbin] and Liz [Meriweather] and Jason [Winer]—and Taran was already onboard, and I’m a huge fan of his professionally. And the first day I met him, we just ended up talking for over an hour and realizing that we had a lot in common life-wise. He is a very inspiring, supportive, encouraging person who I can go to with almost anything, and who’s pushed me to stand by jokes that I believe in. But somewhere along the line, we were hanging out outside of work, going to karaoke, going to dinners, and our families were hanging out together.