Michelle Trachtenberg to join Gossip Girl - Cast&Crew

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March 19 2008

Michelle Trachtenberg to join Gossip Girl. She is going to play "a troublemaker from Serena's past who makes Blair look about as dangerous as Donna Martin".

Whatever that means.

restless | Cast&Crew | 16:04 CET | 35 comments total | tags: michelle trachtenberg, gossip girl, whining

Donna Martin was Tori Spelling's character in 90210.

Shoot me now!

crossoverman | March 19, 16:22 CET

It seems Michelle will be brought in to make Blair look good by comparason. According to the Hollywood Reporter her character will show up in May.

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2008-03-19 21:37 ]

impalergeneral | March 19, 16:31 CET

Is this show any good cause if Michelle's going to guest it might worth a look.

Simon | March 19, 16:33 CET

IMO, it has the same appeal that Dallas had - but for the younger set. Or maybe like your hotel show - whatsis? - oh, yeah, Hotel Babylon. Ya know, an evening soap opera...

So if you like that sorta thing, this is the sorta thing you'll like.

Good on Michelle, though - I'm gonna have to watch at least once, just to see her play a Mean Girl.

ET: fix word omissions...

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2008-03-19 21:40 ]

QuoterGal | March 19, 16:38 CET

It's targeted at the itty-bitty girl generation, I swung past and saw the books shortly before they started turning it into a show. If you like the high-school drama feel, then Gossip Girl is for you. I know Michelle will be fine in and of herself, but I don't really care too much for the show.

cookiepartier | March 19, 16:39 CET

I can picture me doing my best Xander impersonation from season 7's, Him. "Whoa Daddy Likes...er wait I didn't..." and of course Willow adds, "right there with ya."

Funny but disturbing....little Dawny ain't so little anymore.

alexreager | March 19, 16:47 CET

I haven't ever watched the show before, but I don't want to miss Michelle--I can just imagine how much fun she'll have with this part.

Lirazel | March 19, 16:55 CET

Her character's name is Georgina Sparks? A little too similar to Mean Girls' Regina George for me, heh.

fortunateizzi | March 19, 16:58 CET

Yay! Gossip Girls is my guilty pleasure show. Even though I'm definitely not part of the "itty-bitty girl generation." Which I assume means teenagers.

mookey | March 19, 16:59 CET

Is she going to become a regular? If so I have to thank the imaginary tv gods!

xerox | March 19, 17:06 CET

get out get out get out..hehehe!!
Best Dawn line ever.

Seriously..I am excited. Gossip Girl is my guilty pleasure show..hahaha
Since she is going to the Buffy Reunion Paley on Thursday maybe she can pop over to the Gossip Girl one I am going to on Sat..haha

SillyD | March 19, 17:07 CET

Oooh, goodie! I dig Gossip Girl -- it's not appointment television for me but my faithful TiVo keeps the episodes standing by for when I'm ready for some nice, frothy pretty-people drama. It's good fun.

karosurly | March 19, 17:30 CET

Donna Martin graduate!

BlindHawkeyes | March 19, 17:50 CET

Michelle was very impressive in her turn on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". The people running this show have done their job -- I will now point the Eye of Sauron (my DVR) at "Gossip Girl".

KingofCretins | March 19, 18:11 CET

I've actually enjoyed most of Gossip Girl. At it's best, it's crazy farce played as straight drama. Looking forward to seeing Michelle on the show.

MindEclipse | March 19, 18:16 CET

I don't think that's a flattering pic of her...or is that how she looks now?

"crazy farce played as straight drama" sometimes works very well and sometimes it becomes Falcon Crest (little twinge of le nausee' there, sorry)

DaddyCatALSO | March 19, 18:56 CET

Gossip Girl has the same appeal that the OC had, but on the East Coast instead of the West. And it's very fun in the way the OC was, with the silliness and the puns and the ridiculously gorgeous clothes. I like.

Sounds like she got the role Mischa Barton turned down a few weeks ago.

uptheapples | March 19, 19:08 CET

Oh boy. This might make me like her characters even less. I just saw her role in six feet under..lol

andrewisfat | March 19, 19:23 CET

Congrats for Michelle,I think she's gonna fit well with the cast.

On the subject of guest appearances, Clea "Marie 'The Invisible Girl' Ross" will appear on Greys Anatomy.

[ edited by Numfar PTB on 2008-03-20 01:42 ]

Numfar PTB | March 19, 20:39 CET

Oh my... this could be really good or just a disaster. GG is one of my favorite shows on TV right now and I would hate to see it ruined by a badly written character. We'll see!

Morganology | March 19, 21:20 CET

The folks at the Gawker blog are not so sanguine about MT's appearance on Gossip Girl:

Michelle Trachtenberg, the actress who threatened to destroy "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for three seasons (mission failed, mostly) has just signed on for a role on the Upper East Side rich kids soap "Gossip Girl". She'll play the wicked troublemaker Georgina Sparks, who gives current "bad girl" Blair Waldorf a run for her money in the arbitrary bitchiness department. Trachtenberg, an entirely irritating actress, once again tromps all over a show I watch (though "Gossip Girl" has nowhere near as far to fall as "Buffy" did.) Either way, I'm the only one who watches the damn thing, so no one really cares. It'll just be me brooding away in my darkened living room, my cobwebby wedding cake rotting beside me, lamenting things long, long lost.

[ edited by SoddingNancyTribe on 2008-03-20 05:01 ]

stevekaw | March 19, 23:05 CET

(Tries closing stevekaw's tag)

Adolescent Cruella? How about Cordelia, Jr.?

Anyway. I guess the Gawker doesn't get that the Dawn character was supposed to be shrill and annoying at first. She grew on me, that Dawn. Yes, she did.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2008-03-20 04:12 ]

Tonya J | March 19, 23:12 CET

First off, Buffy can deal with anything, even an instant sister. Second, would Mischa Barton be an improvement?
ETA: Defamer has a more reasonable comment on Michelle's new role.

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2008-03-20 04:15 ]

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2008-03-20 04:19 ]

impalergeneral | March 19, 23:15 CET

Well, that was just mean to say about Michelle. I can understand not like her acting style, but that nearly crosses the line.

crazygolfa | March 19, 23:17 CET

As Joss once said (oh, gawds, somewhere about the Boo-hissing of Dawn in sing-a-longs, don't make me come back there and look for it) Dawn is part of him, so Dissing the Dawn is dissing him.

Get out, get out, get out.

(Nice tag-closing, Tonya.)

QuoterGal | March 19, 23:25 CET

I went to a scary visual place. I pictured Michelle Trachtenberg and Joss joined at the hip literally, like Siamese Twins. It's really scary and very funny too.

crazygolfa | March 19, 23:27 CET

I understand disliking Dawn in season 5, because as she's a typical kid sister...yeah. I've got one of those. But disliking Dawn after "Potential" seems pretty much impossible to me.

uptheapples | March 19, 23:42 CET

Well, Dawn was a teenager. And since teenagers are by nature fairly selfish hormone-bombs, I think it's perfectly natural for her to be annoying early on. Especially after she is, in essence, abandoned by her father, loses her mother and sister, and probably blames herself for Buffy's death. I just don't understand everyone hating on her. Her behavior always seemed completely realistic to me.

uptheapples said:

But disliking Dawn after "Potential" seems pretty much impossible to me.

I completely agree. I was so disappointed that she didn't have more of a role in S7. The whole "Watcher, Jr." thing that was hinted at could have been fascinating. And I always cry my eyes out at the end of that episode after Xander gives her his little speech. It says so much about both of them as characters. So lovely--one of my favorite scenes in S7.

[ edited by Lirazel on 2008-03-20 05:50 ]

Lirazel | March 20, 00:50 CET

From stevekaw's post, Trachtenberg, an entirely irritating actress....
Perhaps someone should explain to Gawker that shows have writers and the actors speak words written by these writers and act the way they ask them. Did these guys get all the way through the writers strike without once saying "What? These shows aren't real?"

Next on Gawker: I hate Anthony Hopkins because he kills people and eats their livers.

zz9 | March 20, 06:17 CET

Good taste in wine though, you've gotta give him that.

Saje | March 20, 06:32 CET

NUH UH! I am so excited for this. Forgive my fangirl..er boying.

Plight | March 20, 08:23 CET

Dawn didn't particularly bother me during her purposely highly annoying stage of season five and certainly by the end of season six I found that I really enjoyed the character. Helped, in no small amount, by the fact that Michelle is actually a very good actress and in no way irritating.

Gossip Girl, on the other hand, is much less watchable, at least for me. Frankly, I've no time for teen dramas. Didn't like them when I actually was a teen so they have no chance with me now. 90210, Dawson's Creek, The O.C., One Tree Hill. Dull stories about dull people doing dull things. Gossip Girl is more of the same. Boring.

Highlander | March 20, 10:58 CET

I wouldn't say Gossip Girl is a clone of The OC on the east coast. Matter of fact I find Gossip Girl much darker than The OC. Grant both are teen angsty dramas. Probably why I like them. All those shows, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The OC, I tend to watch them and like them for some silly reason. But I would say you should give it a try and with MT even more of a reason to, they have decent enough story lines to give it a chance.

doyn | March 20, 14:38 CET

Even as season five progressed, Dawn was able to have some very strong moments. One I always think of is the scene with Spike in "Tough Love", down in the tunnels. Dawn notes Spike's bruises, and that everyone around her seems to be getting hurt or dying. "I must be something so horrible" to be causing so much suffering, she says. Material which could possibly have come across as melodramatic or whiny; but Michelle Trachtenberg brings what I can only describe as a real grace to her reading, to this moment. And by season seven, she grows to have some funny moments, too - her "I know, the stake is not the power... I love you, go away!" bit to Buffy in "Lessons", accompanied by great body movement, for one. And, yes, "Potential" - great stuff for Dawn/MT, and one of Xander's greatest moments ever (so, shout out to Nick Brenden, too!).

Can't guarantee I'll catch this show - I've been spotty with watching Whedon vets' subsequent projects (bad LKW) - but I'm happy for MT that she's got the part!

LKW | March 20, 15:48 CET

Well, I've always loved little Dawnie: she gave Buffy someone to protect--more of a reason for all the slayage. + MT is a wonderful actress. Did anyone see her on "Six Feet Under"? She played a foul-mouthed, perfect-looking teenage popstar/diva monster. Michelle was dirty & outrageous. Just great.

stellabee | March 20, 22:52 CET

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