Leighton Meester is still processing the death of her Gossip Girl costar Michelle Trachtenberg.
In an interview with Flaunt, the actress opened up for the first time since Trachtenberg died from diabetes complications at age 39 in February. Meester admitted that the news of Trachtenberg’s death hit her hard, and shared her memories of her former castmate, who played Georgina Sparks on all six seasons of the CW teen drama.
“It’s devastating,” Meester told the outlet. “She was a wonderful, talented person, and everyone loved her. It’s very, very sad for everyone who knew her.”
It was especially heartbreaking for the star since she is the same age as Trachtenberg, whom she regularly battled onscreen as Gossip Girl‘s Queen B, Blair Waldorf.
Meester shared that she looks warmly back on their time on the show, and can see that the series’ legacy “continues — in some ways, even more so than back then — to live on, which is incredible.”
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Leighton Meester and Michelle Trachtenberg in January 2010
Penn Badgley, who starred alongside Meester and Trachtenberg as Dan Humphrey on the hit series, shared a similar sentiment while paying tribute to his costar in April.
“What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh,” Badgley told E! News. “She was really joyous. We all have our ups and downs, our lights and shadows, but she had this — I mean, she was mature, but she had this childlike, joyous laugh.”
Badgley was understandably stunned to learn of Trachtenberg’s sudden death. “It’s surreal,” the You star said. “Really surreal, really saddening.”
While the actor admitted that he hadn’t seen Trachtenberg “in over a decade,” he still vividly remembered her “really pure heart.”
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Michelle Trachtenberg and Penn Badgley in September 2009
Trachtenberg’s passing prompted an outpouring of grief from fans and former castmates, including several of her other Gossip Girl costars,
Hours after news of her death circulated, Chace Crawford, who played Nate Archibald on the CW show, wrote a tribute to Trachtenberg.
“Michelle was one of a kind,” Crawford wrote in an Instagram post. “I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.. remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you.”
Blake Lively, who played Serena van der Woodsen, enduring frenemy to Trachtenberg’s Georgina Sparks, also posted a lengthy and heartfelt remembrance of the late actress on Instagram.
“She was electricity,” the Another Simple Favor star wrote. “Everything she did, she did 200 percent.”
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Blake Lively and Michelle Trachtenberg on ‘Gossip Girl’
Taylor Momsen, who portrayed Jenny Humphrey on the show, memorialized Trachtenberg in her own Instagram post. “In shock… When I met this girl 17 years ago I knew we’d be friends… She was smart and sassy, bold and sensitive, funny as f— and filled with fire,” Momsen wrote. “She was simply awesome.”
Ed Westwick, who played the sleazy Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl, also shared his condolences. “So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg,” he wrote on Instagram. “Sending prayers.”
Gossip Girl co-creator Josh Schwartz also wrote a message memorializing Trachtenberg. “RIP Michelle,” he said in an Instagram story. “Thank you for Georgina. You will be missed but not forgotten.”
Trachtenberg played her iconic recurring guest character in 28 episodes of the original Gossip Girl series, which ran from 2007 to 2012. She appeared in all six seasons of the series, with an expanded role in the final season. Trachtenberg also reprised her role in two episodes of the 2021 Gossip Girl revival.
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Michelle Trachtenberg in February 2020
Trachtenberg was also known for her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s titular protagonist. As a child actress, Trachtenberg also appeared in notable projects like Harriet the Spy, Inspector Gadget, and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. As an older teen, she acted in Gregg Araki’s dark indie drama Mysterious Skin, the sex comedy EuroTrip, and the Disney figure-skating comedy Ice Princess.
The actress also appeared in films like Black Christmas, 17 Again, Cop Out, and Take Me Home Tonight. On the small screen, she appeared in episodes of Weeds, Love Bites, Criminal Minds, and NCIS: Los Angeles.
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