Chace Crawford recalls being in ‘the jail of the CW pretty boy' following ‘Gossip Girl' fame
The 'Reunion' star, 39, is getting candid on the aftermath of playing Nate Archibald on 'Gossip Girl' for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.
The early-2000s drama, set in the backdrop of New York City, followed the lives of elite high schoolers and quickly became a cult classic. But Crawford felt being elevated to the ultimate crush had its downfalls.
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8 Chace Crawford in Season 1 of 'Gossip Girl.'
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Col
'I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after 'Gossip Girl,'' he shared on Thursday's episode of the 'Good Guys' podcast. 'Because I felt, you know, as big of a show as it was, coming off of it as a young guy, it's like, 'Oh, that's not cool anymore.''
'And I'm in this box now,' Crawford continued. 'I'm in this jail of like the CW pretty boy, you know what I mean?'
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'Gossip Girl' ran on the CW and also starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen and Michelle Trachtenberg.
8 Chace Crawford in Season 2 of 'Gossip Girl.'
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection
Crawford explained that people didn't think he had 'range' as an actor.
After 'Gossip Girl' ended, Crawford went on to star in a series of movies, including the 2018 horror 'Cry of Fear.' In 2015, the Hollywood vet landed the part of leading man on the one season ABC drama 'Blood & Oil' in 2015.
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For Crawford, the transition wasn't a smooth one and he felt pigeonholed.
8 Blake Lively, Chace Crawford in 'Gossip Girl.'
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Col
'I think people think… actors make a ton more money and have way more agency than we actually do,' he admitted on the podcast adding about the pressure he put on himself: 'I was probably harder on myself than I needed to be.'
Then came the 2019 Prime Video satirical superhero drama by Eric Kripke: 'The Boys.' Crawford plays The Deep, who is a self-obsessed, aquatic superhero with questionable morals.
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It was a role that changed the performer's life.
8 Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, and Leighton Meester in 'Gossip Girl.'
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Col
'I just remember that audition hitting my inbox, and reading the synopsis, I was like, that sounds wild,' Crawford recounted. 'And then reading this pilot, I was like, 'Oh, this is f–king great. This is so out there and original and weird.''
The CW alum immediately felt a pull to his on-screen character.
'In the specific role of The Deep… I know that guy,' he expressed. 'You know, I know a hundred of those guys, basically. So, I instantly felt confident and excited about my take on the character.'
8 Chace Crawford in the ABC drama 'Blood & Oil.'
©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Crawford's addition, meanwhile, was no walk in the park.
'I went in and read for it,' he recalled. 'I got there, I was like last up, and there were literally like 50 names on the sheet.'
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Crawford performed one 'dark' scene and one lighter moment which 'got some laughs out of Kripke.'
'It was just a normal audition read that I… really wanted, you know? Just based on like reading it. So it really wasn't my choice at all.'
Kripke, 51, and the casting directors made the choice that Crawford was the perfect fit.
8 Chace Crawford in 'Reunion.'
©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
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'It was great,' he gushed. 'I was so happy to have another job that I was excited about and that the character was so different from anything that I had done before.'
'The Boys' is currently filming its fifth and final season and also stars Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso and Erin Moriarty.
The series' spinoff 'Gen V' aired its first season in 2023 and follows students who are in a school for sups. Season 2 is set to premiere this fall.
8 Chace Crawford in 'The Boys.'
©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection
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In 2024, Crawford reflected on the massive success of 'The Boys' and his character in particular.
'That's the name of the game with the character and with the show in general, is that vulnerability,' he said during a conversation with fellow actor Billy Magnussen for Interview Magazine. 'You have to really go to those places. I found things I didn't really know I had or was capable of, being able and given permission to do on a show like this. It was great to really be able to grow and stretch.'
As for where that permission comes from, Crawford credited Kripke.
8 Nathan Mitchell, Chace Crawford in 'The Boys.'
©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection
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'It was the creator, Eric Kripke, the writing, it starts there,' he expressed. 'Eric directed the first couple [episodes], and he kind of let us have the freedom of doing exactly what we wanted to do and finding it in rehearsal. I never really had that.'
''Gossip Girl' was very much hit the mark, and it was great. It's its own formula. It was working very fast, and this was slowed down,' continued Crawford. 'And actors like Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, he's super intense and amazing to work with. Actors like that were totally bringing their A-game. I'm like, 'Okay, this is the way we're going to be doing this show.''
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