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Gossip Girl co-creator Josh Schwartz recently told Vulture that Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence almost had her big break on the CW hit series he created with Stephanie Savage courtesy of the Serena van der Woodsen role that eventually went to Blake Lively.
He claimed the mother! star auditioned and “really wanted to play” the part even if he can’t recall if he saw the tape or not. “This story came to us secondhand, but we were told she definitely auditioned and was bummed to not get it,” he said.
When THR caught up with Lively at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills on Oct. 10, Lively joked that she’s still not buying it: “I take it with a grain of salt and think, ‘Wow that would be really interesting if it were true, but I wonder if it is true,’ so I shouldn’t comment on it.”
But if it is?
“Boy, if she did, they made a bad decision,” she laughs.
As for Lively, she next stars in the Marc Forster-directed All I See Is You, a role that required her to break through some personal boundaries and push her artistic choices. Playing a blind woman who regains her sight while facing marital turmoil, the role required nudity (a first in her career) and some onscreen singing.
“I’m not a singer, I sang in this movie. I’m not a musician, but I played a guitar in this movie. I’m not a nudist, I was naked in this movie. I’m not blind, and I played blind in this movie … so it was really challenging. I’m also most proud of it because I worked with a director who is not only so talented but was so loving and supportive and encouraging and co-stars that were that way. With each job, you learn and you do better and better and sometimes better and worse. But, I think that this is all a part of growing.”
A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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