‘I’m always looking for the next big thing’
Ed Westwick reflects on suffering from depression in lockdown and addresses rumours of a Gossip Girl reboot
Ed Westwick stole the hearts of legions of viewers as the handsome Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, and it’s clear the series still means a lot to the 33-year-old actor. Speaking of the hugely successful series, he explains,“I was a young guy, we were filming, going out and having fun. We were shooting all the time, nine months of the year, 12 hours a day.” Here, the White Gold star speaks about fans holding out for a Gossip Girl reunion and starring as Tyler Jones in the new killer romcom Me,You, Madness…
Hi Ed! Your new movie role sounds exciting. Can you tell us more about it? Oh, it’s brilliant. Prepare to be thrown around like a roller coaster.You’ll be laughing and just having a grand old time, while being a bit shocked and surprised. When I read the script, I admired it all. It has a freshness. Louise Linton [Ed’s costar] and I instantly started tearing the script apart, trying scenes out, and the creativity was there from the start.
How have you found lockdown?
I was one of the fortunate ones, because I was able to travel a bit through the States for different work appointments and stuff. But I think it was the idea that you couldn’t do things that really messed with you.You felt like you were in prison a little bit. So, yeah, a little bit of depression kicked in at times. I was one of the lucky ones though, I can’t imagine how it was for certain people. It was a dreadful time.
What do you want to do when we’re completely back to normality?
Everything! I want to go to a concert, see a movie. I want to hug strangers! I want to do everything.
How do you look back on your time playing Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl? With fondness. Lockdown was a time for everyone to reflect on who they are and what life is. I was processing that experience. I’m in such a different place now, things in my career are more calm. When the show was happening, I was a young guy, we were filming, going out and having fun. We were shooting all the time, nine months of the year, 12 hours a day. I’m so lucky to have something like that, but the problem is you keep trying to look for the next big thing!
Your Gossip Girl TikTok challenge went crazy! What was the best response? The reaction was amazing. My favourite has to be the person who transformed into me with just make-up. People are fantastically talented.
When you brought out the Gossip Girlthemed masks, everyone thought you were hinting at a reboot…
I was super confused when people thought there was going to be a reboot. Just a mention of XOXO and people instantly want it to mean a reunion.
What was it like starring alongside
stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas in White Gold?
The Inbetweeners
Very educational – they are comedy geniuses! I think they suffer from the same thing I do with Gossip Girl – people know you for that role. Everyone knows them from The Inbetweeners. While it’s wonderful, it poses its challenges when moving on to other opportunities.
ME,YOU, MADNESS IS AVAILABLE ON ITUNES/APPLE TV, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, SKY STORE, SONY, TALKTALK,VIRGIN AND RAKUTEN
‘A little bit of depression kicked in at times during lockdown’