SPECIAL THANKS TO LAUREN DALY FROM THE BBC

As is the case with most reboots, remakes and revivals (all the ‘r’s), the new iteration of Gossip Girl was met with polarising reviews when it landed on HBO Max earlier this year. Despite its mixed response, primarily from the ‘Is Hollywood out of original ideas?’ crowd, the salacious teen drama succeeded expectations when it became the streamer’s most-watched original series in its debut weekend. The continuation, which sees the return of Kristen Bell as the title schemer, also earned 15 billion impressions (and counting) on TikTok. So, when Gossip Girl (2021) was renewed for a second season before the first half of season one came to an end, it didn’t come as much of a shock. “I think the modern changes are very on point,” says star Savannah Lee Smith. “They do a very good job of showing how teenagers actually are and they touch on a lot of things that they deal with in real life, like infidelity, and sex and drama!”

Although the original – which starred Leighton Meester and Blake Lively – received critical acclaim throughout its run, it has been criticised in retrospective reviews for its lack of racial diversity and representation of the LGBTQ+ community. A large part of the reboot’s success has been credited to the fact it more accurately reflects New York, as well as the world we live in today, with prominent queer characters such as pansexual bad boy Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty), transgender stylist Luna La (Zion Moreno) and innocent bisexual Aki Menzies (Evan Mock). Smith’s character, the unfiltered and ruthless Monet de Haan who rules Constance Billard with an iron fist, is also a lesbian. The beauty of the series is how there’s no elements of homophobia in the storyline, and all the aforementioned teens are accepted without question. Whether you wanted the reboot or not, Gossip Girl – the 2021 edition – is the inclusive teen drama we originally deserved.

“It is just what it is, no one even bats an eye. That’s what I think real diversity is, honestly. The representation is amazing but it’s how you represent them in this world. It’s how you illustrate their sexuality,” Smith tells us over Zoom. “There’s a minimal amount of media where there are gay characters and it’s not surrounded around the fact that they’re gay or plastered on their forehead. Like, we get it! You don’t need to tell us, it can just be. I don’t go around telling strangers I’m bi.” 

Ahead of the premiere for the first season’s second half, which arrives 25 November, Savannah Lee Smith caught up with GAY TIMES to discuss the groundbreaking representation in Gossip Girl, the real life mean girl Monet is based on, and all of the ‘drama and sex’ we can expect in the future.

Congratulations on the renewal of Gossip Girl! Why do you think the series has resonated so well with viewers?

I think the modern changes are very on point. They do a very good job of showing how teenagers actually are and they touch on a lot of things that they deal with in real life, like infidelity, and sex and drama! I think they do a good job of finding a balance between the heightened reality fiction of it but also making it feel like these are real people dealing with real things. 

It’s very refreshing how this reboot actually reflects the world we live in. I did love the original series, but it wasn’t as diverse and inclusive as it could’ve been.

Yeah. I love that when Josh [Safran] called me and was like, ‘Hey, so I think Monet is gay’ and I was like ‘I support that!’ he said, ‘I knew you would but I don’t think we talk about it.’ And I was like, ‘Even better, I love that!’ There’s a minimal amount of media where there are gay characters and it’s not surrounded around the fact that they’re gay or plastered on their forehead. Like, we get it! You don’t need to tell us, it can just be. I don’t go around telling strangers I’m bi. 

Monet casually kissing another woman in the club was one of my favourite moments from the first half, because it wasn’t made to be a big deal.

Yes! It is just what it is, no one even bats an eye. That’s what I think real diversity is, honestly. The representation is amazing but it’s how you represent them in this world. It’s how you illustrate their sexuality. Like with Max, it’s not a thing with him and the whole Audrey and Aki thing, it’s more so dealing with ‘Do we want to be in a relationship? Do we want to be a thruple? How do we want to go about this? It’s not about that we all like each other, we all like each other and that’s just what it is.’ So yeah, it’s great.

No elements of homophobia in the storyline is what we want to see.

It’s brilliant. I mean, if you want to make a show about teenagers and their lives and how they think then that’s the way to do it. I went to a high school in LA, which is similar to New York in the fact that it’s a city and we’re liberal and casual and used to it, and no one talked about it. It wasn’t a thing. The only reason it was a thing at my high school was because it was a Catholic high school. But it was never really talked about, so I think they’re doing it in a really authentic way which is really refreshing to see.