Developed by showrunner Joshua Safran, a writer and executive producer on the original series, the new HBO Max iteration of Gossip Girl returns to the Upper East Side and the elite Constance Billard School for Girls and St. Jude’s School for Boys, with a new group of privileged, rich and beautiful students. There, new girl Zoya (Whitney Peak) tries to find where she fits among new friends and new romance, all while attempting to avoid the wrath of the reawakened Gossip Girl and her wicked ways.

During this virtual 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Peak (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Home Before Dark) talked about how she has typically feels about reboots, her impression of the original series, why she wondered if they’d ever even get to film the show, the dynamic between Zoya and Julien (Jordan Alexander), why she wanted her character to be messy, what Zoya thinks of Gossip Girl, Easter eggs, and that viewers aren’t prepared for what’s to come.

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for the first episode of Gossip Girl.]

Collider: I’m excited to finally get introduced to these characters and see what the show is all about. I feel like I didn’t know anything before I watched it, which I think is really cool.

WHITNEY PEAK: I know. You read tweets and messages and things, and you see the thoughts of people in anticipation of the show coming out, and it’s just bizarre how wrong some of the guesses are. I’m just sitting back and waiting for everybody to unravel for the public.

When the opportunity to do this and to be a part of this reboot became a possibility for you, what was your reaction? Since you are somebody who had already seen and were a fan of the original series, did that make you more excited or more nervous about pursuing a role on the show?

PEAK: I don’t think I felt any particular way about it. I wasn’t sure they’d even give me a chance because I was 16 at the time, and obviously Gossip Girl is not exactly the most PG-13 TV series out there. And now, with it being on HBO Max, it’s obviously a little bit more risque and explicit. It’s not watered down because it’s on a TV network. It can be a little more elevated. So, I was definitely in disbelief that they even let me audition. And then, when I got it, I was like, “Oh, my god, this is crazy!” But then, I realized I was playing a 14-year-old, so there was a little bit more room to get around that.

Because you had watched the original series after it first aired, what was it that made you originally decide to watch it? Was it just that you had heard about it and wanted to check it out?

PEAK: I definitely heard about it growing up. I feel like maybe my sisters watched it. I don’t think they ever mentioned it really, but it’s just been around. People would reference it, and there were Blair memes everywhere. I’d never been aware of it. I was watching Pretty Little Liars at the same, but then I outgrew it. It got a little bit dark and it became stressful for me to watch it because it was so thrillery. I was thinking, “What else can I watch that’s a little mindless and relaxing and calm? Oh, lemme just watch all of these rich people getting mad at each other.” And it was awesome. It was the perfect escape and a really good distraction, and I’m grateful for that.

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Image via HBO Max

How do you personally normally feel about reboots, remakes, and reimaginings? Is it something that you find yourself interested in, or do you normally shy away from watching them?

PEAK: I’m usually the first to shy away, honestly. I hate to admit it, but I am that person. So, when I found out they were doing a reboot, I was like, “What? What do you mean, they’re doing a reboot? Is the original cast coming back? What’s gonna happen with this?” And then, I found out what the premise was and I was like, “Okay, now I get it,” and I felt really silly for being so quick to shut it down. I’m usually the first person to turn a blind eye to a reboot, but give it a chance. Most of the time, it’s not really a reboot or a remake. This one is a continuation. It’s just 10 years later and a different world.

What was your audition process like for this? When you left the audition or you had that first meeting, was it something that you had a good feeling about? Were you convinced you’d never get it? Are you someone who tries to not think about audition after you do them?

PEAK: Here’s the thing, I never actually read in the room for it. I sent in a tape, and then disappeared to Uganda. My sister was getting married, so me and my family went back home and spent a lovely month there, just getting enveloped in culture and seeing my family again, for the first time in five or six years. It was incredible. And then, I came back and got the news and I was in disbelief, of course, but also a little bit skeptical because I hadn’t done a callback. I hadn’t read in the room for it. I was nervous that they wouldn’t really like me, once I got on set, or that something would go wrong. And then, of course, COVID happened and I was thinking, “Okay, well, this is done. This is what happened. Nice knowing you guys. Really great meeting you.” But then, cut to seven months later, we were in New York and working on it. It was awesome. So, it was a quick and easy process for me.

You didn’t have to be tortured over whether or not you would get it for too long.

PEAK: Yes. I just had to be tortured on whether or not it was happening, which was probably almost worse. I’m glad those days are behind me right now.

You’ve previously said that when you booked this show, you realized that acting was something that you could potentially do for the rest of your life. Now that you’ve been doing the show, has it confirmed that for you even more?

PEAK: Absolutely. I feel like every single day on set, I enjoy it more. With reading the scripts and now being on the show and seeing how everything works and being really involved behind the scenes, I just crave it more now. It’s an addiction. I just wanna do more. I wanna push myself and challenge myself to step more outside of the box and play characters that are far from myself. I’ve got the bug, for sure.

What can you say to tease the story arc for the first season? What do you think are the biggest ways the audience of the show will be surprised by the story you’re telling?

PEAK: I think that the audience is really gonna enjoy getting to peek into the inner workings of Gossip Girl and the trials and tribulations of being this big sister looking over the shoulder vibe. In the original, it was very one-dimensional. She was just this character that would blog, and it played with who she was and her identity. Now, in the first episode, the audience is in on something that the characters aren’t, which I think was such a cool way to flip the script a little bit. It makes the audience feel a part of it all, in that they know something that we don’t know. I don’t know if I’m giving too much away, but I know that I’m allowed to say that there’s a lot of events and there’s a lot of fashion. There’s literally a fashion show in the first episode. There’s a black tie gala in the second. They’re in for a ride. Every single episode has drama, drama, drama.

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Image via HBO Max

Because there are two female characters at the center of this story, people are going to look for comparisons to Serena and Blair, but it feels like your character is much more the Dan of the story, at least initially. Is that how you see it too?

PEAK: I did see it like that initially because the script that I auditioned with was very that – the new girl who didn’t really like the elitism of the world that she was in. So, I definitely did think that. But now, with me and Jordan [Alexander]’s characters being half-sisters, there’s obviously gonna be that comparison. I think the audience is gonna expect it to be very much me versus her, or her versus me, but it’s not like that at all. We actually want to be sisters, want to be that family, and want to have that connection because they’re still so young and have to overcome these barriers, in order to get there at the end of the day. Me and Jordan have had endless conversations about this because we know what the initial response will be, when two girls are put up together. It always has to be me versus you. We’re very secure in the fact that me and Jordan are aware enough of ourselves to overcome that.

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These are two girls from very different worlds and they’re still getting to know each other, at the same time the audience is getting to know them, so what are you enjoying about getting to explore that sister dynamic, as it grows more and more?

PEAK: I actually have two sisters back home in Vancouver and I miss them very, very much. Jordan has been an extension of a big sister to me in real life, so that’s really easy to tap into. All of my sisters are older, and Jordan is older too, but Julien is only a couple years older than Zoya. It’s interesting going to school with your sister, but also having this separation, in that you didn’t know each other for however long. They’re sisters, so they’re holding onto this thing with family and their blood. There’s just a connection there and they’re trying to explore that. Seeing how really deep it is, or how deep it can be and how far it can go, is probably the most exciting part for me. It’s gonna go up and down, I just can’t wait to see where it ends up.

Zoya’s home life is very different from these other kids. Do you also enjoy getting to explore that duality in her life, and getting to have this very different life at school that she’s living with these people that she’s friends with now, and then going home to a very different home life?

PEAK: Yeah. She and her dad, right now, are staying in her grandmother’s rent controlled apartment. It’s on the Upper West Side and she’s living this lower middle class life, but is also on the brink of actually not having a home. It’s interesting. The place is nice, but it’s not fancy, so when she does go to these extreme environments, sure she’s impressed by the decorum of it all, but at the end of the day, she’s not gonna bash her home life, or at least not yet, just because she’s exposed to this higher than thou lifestyle. But her father is also a lawyer and he’s the moral compass of the show. He’s like, “This is the law and you must be doing this.” They have a really great relationship, but it’s definitely still father and daughter, whereas Julien and Davis have more of a pal relationship.

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Image via HBO Max

How does Zoya feel about Gossip Girl? Does she care about finding out who Gossip Girl is? What is that like for her to deal with?

PEAK: Zoya is somebody who values the well being of her friends and family and people that she loves. I don’t think she really cares about it, in terms of herself. Other than the exception of huge dramatic events that have happened to her, if it was bashing her just with rumors, she wouldn’t really care about it. But when it’s about her family and her friends, that’s when she gets riled up and really wants to find out and get to the bottom of it. It gets really real when it’s messing with the people that she loves and who she wants to be happy and okay.

Have you finished filming the series now?

PEAK: No. We finish, I think, in early September. I believe we’re done in the first week of September.

So, you don’t know exactly where things will end up?

PEAK: Exactly. We’re filming the ninth episode right now (this interview was done on June 27th), and that’s about as much as I know. We have a general idea. (Creator) Josh [Safran] will throw us some hints, here and there, for where it’s gonna go, but you never really get the full picture until you’re filming the episode.

What is your relationship like, with Josh Safran? How collaborative does it get? Do you give input on your character? How much do you get told about things?

PEAK: I have nothing bad to say about Josh and working with him. He is always receptive to any ideas or any questions and concerns that I have. He lets me play with the character and add nuances and lets me make her messy. Teenagers aren’t perfect. Even with someone as comfortable with herself as Zoya is, she’s messy. A lot of Black characters and people of color aren’t allowed to be messy on TV. You’re either prim and proper with a strict upbringing, and you have to stick to the script and be perfect, and go to post-secondary and graduate and do all of this stuff, or if you’re even remotely messy or you wanna go out with someone with a messy vibe, then you’re put in this category of being too ‘hood. I’m so serious. It’s the tropes.

Or you’re the background character and there just isn’t enough time to explore your storyline.

PEAK: Exactly, and you don’t get an arc. It’s really frustrating to see that in the industry. Of course, I very much recognize my privilege in being a person of color, but also a mixed person of color. I’m trying to be very much aware of that while also making it acceptable for people of color to be messy on TV because it’s real. We don’t have our hair snatched all the time and we have a bad hair day. We’re allowed to be messy, and go out in sweatpants and a messy bun not be ratchet. I think it’s really, really awesome that he lets us play with that. We can go to sleep in do-rags and headscarves, whenever we need to. We’re gonna try to keep pushing that line further. The entire crew has been incredible to work with, so I’m very thankful for that.

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Image via HBO Max

And teenagers are especially messy.

PEAK: Yeah, absolutely.

You mentioned the fashion. Fashion was a huge part of the original series and it seems like it’s also a defining characteristic of this series. How do you feel about Zoya’s specific wardrobe, from how she styles her school uniform to what she wears in everyday life to when she dresses up? Do you feel like there is one way to describe her style, or is it more of a mix of things?

PEAK: I think she sees herself more in the arts – in books and plays and music and paintings or art. She doesn’t so much express herself in her clothing. She just goes for whatever’s comfortable, which I’m learning as I continue. At first, I was thinking, “Oh, she’s cool. She’s wearing street clothes. She’s very into style.” But the more I learn about her, she connects more with the arts than she does with outer expression. She just wears whatever is comfortable and whatever feels good on her that day. She’s not really looking to impress anybody. She just wants to feel good.

Pretty early on, there’s also some tension between these sisters over a guy. When it comes to Obie, how do you feel about their relationship? Is it a situation where you worry that she shouldn’t even be looking in that direction, or is it fair game because he and her sister are so different?

PEAK: I think that’s a very, very tough question to answer. It’s obviously very, very subjective. Things definitely feel more heightened when you’re young and this is her first real intimate interaction with somebody who happens to have also fallen for her sister. It’s probably a little bit uncomfortable, but as the episodes go on, there’s this mutual awareness of how over it is, from Obie’s perspective. It was a little it weird because in my head, I was thinking, “Wow, he sees something shiny and just goes after it,” because he’s so guilty of his privilege and wealth. In my head, he sees someone who’s not a part of his world and, no matter how real and how authentic it feels to him, it’s a barrier that he needs for himself, in order to grow. He needs to learn from it, and then continues on. I definitely felt a little bit weird about dating my sister’s boyfriend, but it happens in real life and Julien is pretty chill about it. She’s very well aware that she’s a little bit controlling and that the chemistry between them has dispersed.

We learn pretty quickly that they are very different and that your character has much more in common with him.

PEAK: And because that happens, it helps Julien find herself. Even though it’s to the detriment of Zoya, it needed to happen in order for Julien to grow, and in order for them to grow as a family.

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Image via HBO Max

This series tackles different issues, including bullying. Do you like how the show is handling that side of things?

PEAK: In the beginning, I was a little bit frustrated at how quickly some of them were scanned over. But when you’re making a 45 minute TV show, with a beginning, middle and end, and you’re following different storylines, you’re not gonna get to the nitty gritty of every single issue. And so, while I think we do cover a lot of issues, you could go on [with them]. You could make an entire season about bullying and high school trauma, but there’s just so much going on, all the time. I understand it, so I appreciate that we’re even touching on issues at all, period. You’ve just gotta take it for what it is and read between the lines.

You can always come back to certain things, in future seasons.

PEAK: Exactly. Gossip Girl is always about the drama, so we’re just trying to micro-dose little inklings of advice and touch on issues and important things while also saying true to the Gossip Girl nature and the oblivion of the rich.

As someone who is a fan of the original series, do you get excited about the little connections that pop up between the original and this one? Do they get pointed out to you ahead of time, or do you just get to stumble across them when you read each script?

PEAK: I stumble across them. Oh, my goodness, I cannot wait for the fourth episode to come out because there is a huge reference to the old show that I think everybody’s gonna love. I’m excited to see what everybody thinks about that. I’m not really on Twitter, but I will be on Twitter for that. There are definitely little dosages and little Easter eggs for the eagle-eyed Gossip Girl fans out there.

Do you feel like you’re prepared for everything this show is going to bring for you? Do you have a real grasp on that?

PEAK: No. I’m not ready for it. I don’t think it’s something that you can prepare for. In fact, I think I’m avoiding feeling anything about it. I am somebody who really, really values my privacy and my personal space and the relationships with people that are close to me. The fear and the anticipation of losing a tiny chunk of my anonymity, thinking about that too much would probably send me over the edge. So, we’re gonna take it step by step and see where it goes.

I’m excited to see where the show goes. There are some fun characters and storylines and little twists that you’re doing, but I’m also afraid because there’s no way these characters are coming out of this unscathed.

PEAK: I truly don’t think anybody’s ready. Nobody is ready. You may think that you are, but there’s a lot going on.

Gossip Girl is available to stream at HBO Max.

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