Is Leighton Meester Leaving Gossip Girl?
Credit: Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic
Attention Upper East Siders: Leighton Meester is ready to say goodbye Gossip Girl.
Though she's played scheming socialite Blair Waldorf since 2007, Meester says she plans to walk away from the hit CW drama in "two more years."
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Why wait? "Because we're under contract," the 24-year-old explains to E! News.
While Meester admits she "obviously enjoys working on the show and in New York," she's already made her post-Gossip Girl intentions known to the show's producers, who have allowed her to take time off to pursue other film projects.
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"It allows you to be ready for when the show's over," she says of taking on roles in Country Strong and The Roommate.
Meester isn't the only Gossip Girl star who's scaled back her camera time: 17-year-old Taylor Momsen, who plays angsty high school student Jenny Humphrey, was reportedly suspended from the show in November.
"Taylor only does [the show] for the money," a source told UsMagazine.com at the time. "She works hard on Gossip Girl but doesn't care about the plot or the other cast members. She treats it like a 9-5. No emotional investment."
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Without its original cast, will Gossip Girl be able to stay on the air?
"I don't know," Meester says, "but I think there's that old saying about wanting to go out on top."
Tell Us What You Think
5Aw that sucks just when I started liking GG and Blair is one of my favorite characters
But JOely Richardson is 45 so there is no way she can play Blair someone in series where almost everyone is about 20....
To Courney Puzzo: Wow, you are obviously related and or work for this Joely Richardson because she has nothing to do with this article what so ever and you spent more time talking about her than the actual topic! How sad is this?
I don't think Gossip Girl will stay successful without Leighton Meester's character on the cast but by 2012 I think GG will have run it's course.
who cares that show is trite anyway none of the cast can actually act. put any one of them next to Joely Richardson on Screen and she'll dominate them. Leighton is a hopeless talentless drama queen. granted Mrs Richardson has acting in her DNA she's part of the 4th generation of the Redgrave acting Dynasty her mother Vanessa is an oscar winner and her late aunt Lynn was a double nominee.