TALK OF THE TOWN

Leighton Meester and Blake Lively don't hate each other... and they both love NYLON!

A few years ago, Serena Van Der Woodsen would have been the name of a pampered, neurotic show dog on Sex and the City.

Now it's the title of Gossip Girl's unlikely style icon, played by Blake Lively and scampering across your television like - in the words of show creator Stephanie Savage - "a golden retriever."

Then there's Blair Waldorf, the crisp and calculating Mean Girl whose Chanel headband, Fendi bag, and porcelain face mask a very scared, very sad 11th grader.  She's played to perfection by Leighton Meester and she's also - maybe despite everyone's expectations - one of the funniest characters on TV.

The Blair / Serena (our should we say Leighton / Blake) combination has proved pretty unstoppable with fans, fashion addicts, and even jaded NYLON staffers, and of course that spawns gossip worthy of a show about scandal:  If you haven't heard the rumors that Blake and Leighton are constantly engaged in a death match, you've been living in a bomb shelter.

Fortunately, NYLON snagged the capable and cool young actresses to set the record straight.  You can read all about it in NYLON's latest issue - or skim some outtakes here:

“Maybe I’ve known [Blair] somehow or I know her in myself and she needs somebody to portray her in a way that isn’t completely harsh because she could be so hated.” -- Leighton, on her part.

“[I thought] if there are pet monkeys wearing coordinating outfits, that’s not something I’m going to want to be a part of…. “ - Blake, on how she almost turned down the show.

“Serena is more thrown to gether and effortless and doesn’t really care, and is just like, has this sexiness to her without trying, and Blair is really uptight and conservative and put together and everything has to be perfect, you know Chuck is kind of cocky and he’s just like, I don’t know, a prick." - Leighton, on Gossip Girl style.

"Yeah, it’s kind of crazy but after the first Sisterhood trailer even came out, um, I guess it’s maybe I’m the only person with long blonde hair in Hollywood.  I don’t know, but everyone was like, “Oh, she should be Serena.” - Blake, on the weirdness of internet message boards.

Want more?  Check out the issue!!!
FARAN and LUKE.




This story was published on April 18, 2008.