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Warning: This entry contains spoilers about Gossip Girl which some fans may prefer to avoid!
Boyfriend stealing, drug taking and blackmail are all part of a day’s work for Michelle Trachtenberg when she steps into Georgina Sparks’s shoes on Gossip Girl. Nowadays, she also contends with blood, sweat and tears when she moonlights as naive nurse Chloe Payne in NBC’s medical drama Mercy. How do the two shows compare? Will Georgina be making a Gossip comeback? We caught up with MT to find out.
What sort of reaction have you had to Mercy?
“It’s been pretty positive. I don’t think it’s the sort of show where anyone would yell in our faces! It’s about three women that take you into this field and there’s these great emotional arcs that these characters go on. We’re really bringing this profession to light. Oh, and I love the fact that we have a male nurse! It shows just how diverse the profession is.”
Where does Chloe’s story take her across the rest of the season?
“Chloe will have a love interest coming up who will be on the younger side, but that’s not something that she’s really open to. There’s gonna be a struggle there, but it’s a bridge to a more serious love interest…”
You had James Van Der Beek on recently. What was it like working with him?
“It was great. He’s actually around until the end of the season. He’s a pleasure to work with and he keeps all of us on our toes. He knows your lines as much as his! And he plays the Dawson’s Creek theme tune on set all day!”
Gossip Girl’s Connor Paolo popped up too…
“Yes and he is a sweetheart. I love him, he’s wonderful, and I worked with him on set on Gossip Girl just yesterday. It was great having the worlds mix.”
How do the two shows compare?
“They’re night and day! I never get confused which set I’m on because I just look down and see what I’m wearing to decipher which character it is! Is it Chanel or scrubs?!”
How long are you back on GG for?
“I am definitely part of the season finale, which has a massive cliffhanger. I can’t really say much more because I’m literally signed to secrecy. We had to sign new confidentiality agreements and our scripts were printed in red. I made a joke the other day on set in front of some extras and I got told off!”
We’ve seen some pictures of you wearing a dodgy blonde wig on set…
“It’s not ‘the bitch is back’, it’s ‘the blonde bitch is back’! It’s supposed to be an incognito look. It’s supposed to be a wig – I think people are confused about that. It wasn’t like we went to a discount store and thought, ‘right, this looks good enough’! It’s meant to look wiggy.”
Is she over Dan?
“No! There’s definite resentment there and she holds a grudge over how that ended. Georgina’s crazy!”
Are you hoping to do more appearances next year?
“It’s one of the best characters I’ve ever played and those kids are my family – Leighton’s one of my best friends. Any time I am there, it is the most extraordinary experience and I wouldn’t give that up easily.”
Gossip Girl continues Mondays at 9pm on The CW
