TMC
07-06-2022, 08:28 PM
https://www.nickiswift.com/917971/rumer-willis-was-nearly-cast-in-this-iconic-gossip-girl-role/
Rumer Willis was considered to play Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl
While today we couldn't imagine "Gossip Girl" without Blake Lively portraying the Upper East Side's It Girl Serena van der Woodsen, Rumer Willis was nearly cast, according to Us Weekly. In fact, Ashley Olsen was in the talks to star opposite Willis as Serena's best frenemy and the queen of schemes, Blair Waldorf, but the role was ultimately handed to Leighton Meester.
Willis was shocked and flattered when she heard The CW network thought of her to portray Serena, but she also admitted that she didn't exactly nail her audition. "I felt like I did an awful audition back then," Willis told People (https://people.com/tv/rumer-willis-my-gossip-girl-audition-was-awful/) in 2015. "I was so young and it was, like, one of the first things I'd ever auditioned for." Willis added that she and her sisters were fans of the books, so they were excited when a television show was in the works. Ultimately, though, Willis had no hard feelings about not getting the role. "Blake and Leighton did an incredible job," she gushed.
Casting director David Rapport made it clear (https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/the-man-who-helped-build-the-cw#.hu8OEWNa) that Blake Lively was always the frontrunner for Serena van der Woodsen. While the network had their doubts, thinking Lively was too "California" for a New York girl, and ultimately pitching Willis to portray the blonde beauty along with Olsen as the brunette best friend (https://www.bustle.com/articles/115463-gossip-girl-wanted-ashley-olsen-rumer-willis-but-the-show-would-have-been-totally-different), Rapport had a feeling Lively was the best choice.
Rumer Willis was considered to play Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl
While today we couldn't imagine "Gossip Girl" without Blake Lively portraying the Upper East Side's It Girl Serena van der Woodsen, Rumer Willis was nearly cast, according to Us Weekly. In fact, Ashley Olsen was in the talks to star opposite Willis as Serena's best frenemy and the queen of schemes, Blair Waldorf, but the role was ultimately handed to Leighton Meester.
Willis was shocked and flattered when she heard The CW network thought of her to portray Serena, but she also admitted that she didn't exactly nail her audition. "I felt like I did an awful audition back then," Willis told People (https://people.com/tv/rumer-willis-my-gossip-girl-audition-was-awful/) in 2015. "I was so young and it was, like, one of the first things I'd ever auditioned for." Willis added that she and her sisters were fans of the books, so they were excited when a television show was in the works. Ultimately, though, Willis had no hard feelings about not getting the role. "Blake and Leighton did an incredible job," she gushed.
Casting director David Rapport made it clear (https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/the-man-who-helped-build-the-cw#.hu8OEWNa) that Blake Lively was always the frontrunner for Serena van der Woodsen. While the network had their doubts, thinking Lively was too "California" for a New York girl, and ultimately pitching Willis to portray the blonde beauty along with Olsen as the brunette best friend (https://www.bustle.com/articles/115463-gossip-girl-wanted-ashley-olsen-rumer-willis-but-the-show-would-have-been-totally-different), Rapport had a feeling Lively was the best choice.