Chemistry blossoming from dark schemes. Partners in crime that were also partners
in passion despite the odds. Was Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester’s
relationship just professional or was it personal? And how did fate play a part?
For as long as the original "Gossip Girl" was on the air, Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick
delighted fans as star crossed lovers Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass. Chuck and
Blair's on-again-off-again romance kept viewers glued to their screens thanks to wild schemes,
royal romances, and scandalous affairs. So it should come as no surprise that "Gossip
Girl" fans want to know if that same flirty dynamic played out between the actors on set.
In February 2022, Westwick appeared on fellow "Gossip Girl" alum Jessica Szohr's podcast to talk
about his time on the show. Needless to say, his relationship with on-screen love interest Meester
came up during the chat, with Westwick noting that they had great chemistry. The actor explained,
"We used to make each other laugh and I felt protective over her at times."
This revelation is far from new. In 2016, "Gossip Girl" co-creator Josh Schwartz told Vulture,
"You get an actor like Ed Westwick and see the chemistry he had with Leighton Meester,
and their scenes just crackled."
In fact, the chemistry between Westwick and Meester changed the entire trajectory of the show.
As Chuck Bass was initially the villain of the piece, Schwartz and his co-writers used
the connection between the actors as a jumping off point to explore
new ideas not present in the "Gossip Girl" source novels. Schwartz added,
"Here are two people who are bonded by their mutual scheming and the dark side of the show,
and that would naturally evolve into a romantic relationship. [...] They came into
the show as very different kinds of roles, but the chemistry between them took over."
While "Gossip Girl" came to an end in 2012, Blair and Chuck's impact on pop culture lives on.
As a result, it's probably no surprise that Westwick has been very forthcoming
about his admiration for his former co-star. However, that's not to say that any chemistry
between the pair should hint at a romantic encounter. As Westwick explained to Szohr,
"[Meester] found a vulnerability in that character that made it very easy for my character to fall in
love with [...] I'm not saying I was in love with Leighton, but it [never felt] forced."
"I know you told Serena you love me."
Meester seems to agree, revealing in a 2013 interview that their relationship was deeply
fulfilling, but strictly professional. As Meester told The K-magazine,
"Ed is such a great person to work with, always so funny but with such
talent, that it makes enjoyable to be around him."
It would also appear as though Westwick's feelings about Meester only evolved throughout
"Gossip Girl." For instance, back in a January 2012 interview with E! News, Westwick revealed,
"I'm madly in love with Leighton, so that's what helps on my behalf,
maybe so much that she doesn't even have to be in love with me. I love enough,
she's mine. [...] We've got the right pairing, I guess."
During a Q&A session at Monopoly Events' Comic Con in Liverpool in 2021,
Westwick again fielded questions about the exact nature of his relationship with Meester.
The actor suggested that some of Chuck Bass' adoration for Blair
Waldorf seeped into his heart as affection for his co-star, saying,
"It's hard not to fall in love with Leighton — like,
have a part of me fall in love with her, you know? [...] She's amazing."
"But I need to let you go."
However, as fate would have it, Meester reportedly would meet her future husband,
Adam Brody, around the same time she met Westwick. According to the "Unqualified" podcast, "Gossip
Girl" co-creator Josh Schwartz took the cast of the show out for a meal in Los Angeles in 2007.
It was then that they apparently ran into Brody, star of Schwartz's other show, "The O.C." Meester
and Brody would later work together on the film "The Oranges" in 2011. Reports surfaced that
the pair started dating in 2013, and tied the knot less than a year later in February 2014.
The wedding was reportedly a surprise, low-key affair,
and so few people knew about it beforehand, including Westwick. In March 2014, the actor
revealed that when he found out his old co-worker got married, he sent a text of congratulations,
despite seemingly having mixed feelings about the matter. He explained to Us Weekly,
"It's not my life [...] I love her. I think she's fantastic,
and she's a good friend of mine. And whatever she does I wish her all the best."
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