Ed Westwick Reveals How He Almost Missed The Opportunity To Join ‘Gossip Girl’

KEY POINTS

Ed Westwick said he met a lawyer who helped him with his visa in the nth hour
Westwick also auditioned for the role of Nate Archibald, played by Chase Crawford
Jennifer Lawrence had auditioned for a crucial role that went to Blake Lively

Fans of the original “Gossip Girl” know that the series would not be the same without the iconic character of Chuck Bass played by Ed Westwick. But the actor recently revealed that he almost missed out on joining the cast due to issues on his working visa.

In a recent interview with Jessica Szohr in her podcast “XOXO With Jessica Szohr,” the British actor said he was 19 when he was cast in the role of the upper-class snob/playboy in the series. However, a mere day before the filming of the pilot episode, he was still rushing to complete some pending paperwork for his visa.

The “Me You Madness” actor revealed he met a lawyer while he was in line at the embassy who helped him with the situation. This allowed him to fly to New York a few hours before the filming schedule.

“You know the government agencies can take their time to like, their paperwork done. but this lawyer was one of those slick guys who knew everyone at the embassy…Cruising upon their line…So, I got the visa and we started working,” he told Szohr in the podcast.

The 34-year-old English actor also revealed that the character of Chuck Bass was supposed to be a recurring role and not a regular in the show. “He was only supposed to come in for a few episodes. So, lucky me," he said.

Westwick recalled that he also auditioned for Chace Crawford’s role, Nate Archibald.

“I auditioned for Chace’s part as well...but it was super early on and I walked in and I was obviously liked more for the Chuck role and it was a much more interesting role. I think I have more of the character for it,” he told Szohr who played Vanessa Abrams in the show.

CW Network’s “Gossip Girl” ran from 2007 to 2012 while the first season of the reboot premiered in July 2021 on HBO Max.

In another podcast, casting director David Rapaport revealed that Jennifer Lawrence auditioned to play Serena van der Woodsen, a part that eventually went to Blake Lively. Rapaport said it was “wild” that Lawrence auditioned for “Gossip Girl.”