Thomas Doherty on ‘Gossip Woman’ Season 2, ‘Dandelion,’ and Embracing Fame

“I don’t understand how they, or anybody, can do a three-way relationship,” Thomas Doherty laughs. “One particular person is difficult sufficient!” We’re speaking about his character on HBO Max’s Gossip Woman reboot, which has just lately returned for its second season. Doherty performs Max Wolfe, a hedonistic, cynical, and broken teenager who, after sleeping together with his schoolteacher (and most males with abs on the Higher East Facet), now finds himself in a mixed-gender throuple. Watching Max, Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), and Aki (Evan Mock) attempting to navigate this setup is simply as messy as you’d anticipate.

The unique Gossip Woman sequence, based mostly on the best-selling books by Cecily von Ziegesar, aired on the CW Community between 2007 and 2012. It grew to become a foundational millennial textual content and turned its forged into teen idols, sparking loads of parental outrage alongside the way in which. The present adopted a bunch of wealthy youngsters as their sophisticated, scandalous lives have been uncovered by Gossip Woman, an nameless weblog that adopted their each transfer. A decade on, the academics of Constance Billard non-public college have revived the weblog on Instagram in a determined try to maintain the following era of pupils in line. What may presumably go improper?

Doherty wasn’t a Gossip Woman fan as an adolescent, however he did binge-watch a number of seasons as an grownup, when he was filming in Georgia and a former girlfriend visited him on set. “I used to be bored out of my thoughts, and he or she came over me. She was on Season 3 or 4, and after she left, I simply stored watching it!” he remembers. A month later, his supervisor known as and requested if he needed to audition for the reboot, which was being delivered to HBO by Josh Safran.

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Gossip Woman 2.0 is a microcosm of how a lot TV and wider society have modified within the final decade. It’s now presumed that TV reveals will deal with the political matters of the day by means of a extra various vary of characters. That is very true in the case of reveals centering on younger individuals. From Euphoria to 13 Causes Why, the American highschool is TV’s new political battleground, reflecting a youthful era who’re switched on and engaged. This comes with stress for an actor like Doherty, however it additionally fits his frank demeanor. As “pansexual playboy” Max, he’s by no means removed from intense drama and scandal. However off-screen, he’s refreshingly low-key, relaxed, and even a little bit delightfully foulmouthed.

I’m wondering if Doherty was nervous about becoming a member of a present that holds such a particular place within the collective millennial reminiscence. “I undoubtedly did have pause,” he admits, earlier than explaining he initially auditioned for the a part of Obie Bergmann (Eli Brown). “I assumed, ‘Nah, this isn’t for me.’” Max ended up being a a lot better match, however there have been nonetheless nerves. “To be a part of a present, which is so nostalgic for individuals, was thrilling, but in addition daunting,” he says. “As a result of there’s nothing fairly as highly effective as nostalgia. It feels such as you’re taking over a giant duty, and also you’re destined for lots of pushback.”

Evan Mock, Thomas Doherty, and Emily Alyn Lind in Gossip Woman.

Positive sufficient, just like the unique Gossip Woman, the resistance started earlier than the HBO revival even aired. The present was described as a “woke” reboot, an idea that, according to W Magazine, made millennials “recoil.” It’s true that the HBO present is rather more various, with characters who march at anti-gentrification protests and say phrases like marginalized communities. These wealthy youngsters are effectively versed within the Canva-designed Instagram infographic language of “checking their privilege,” as a result of, make no mistake, privilege continues to be the spine of this present.

Gossip Woman as soon as turned its principal characters, like Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, into influencers within the period simply earlier than social media had absolutely taken off. The brand new incarnation represents the completion of that prophecy, with characters who already share their lives on-line, juggling paid partnerships and faculty. When Gossip Woman—a story of New York Metropolis lore—is introduced again from the lifeless, Insta-fame shortly turns into infamy. On this new, democratized digital terrain, the elite really feel weak—not economically, however socially, the place they teeter on the sting of cancellation.

The 2 reveals really feel most comparable in the case of a few of the characters. Doherty’s character, Max, generally appears like a queer Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), the promiscuous (and immaculately tailor-made) villain-turned-antihero. “There’s quite a lot of comparisons between Max and Chuck, however I bear in mind saying that he wanted to be cheekier, extra flirty, however not creepy. Just a little bit lighter,” Doherty explains. “I say that Max all the time has a joke at the back of his head that nobody else is aware of.”

Cheeky is a phrase that describes Doherty simply as a lot as his character. He apologizes to his PR rep upfront (“Don’t kill me!”) when he tells me he isn’t focused on Oscars or awards earlier than swiftly including, “But when it comes, I’m not going to say no!” All through our dialog, he cracks humorous (like, really humorous) and self-deprecating jokes at surprising occasions. “I can’t imagine that so many individuals give a shit,” he laughs, once I ask him what it’s wish to have 4 million Instagram followers. “I really feel like I’m all the time bare!” he jokes, once I point out what number of nude scenes Max finds himself in. He’s pleasant, too: The primary couple of minutes of our dialog are spent attempting to work out if we’ve got any mutual associates, as a result of, coincidentally, we went to neighboring excessive colleges in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the very same time. (The broader world is simply as small because the Higher East Facet, it appears.)

Doherty’s upbringing was a stark distinction to the teenage expertise we see on Gossip Woman. “If you’re from a spot like Edinburgh in Scotland, even the concept of coming to New York and seeing a yellow cab is so alien and romanticized,” he says. Rising up, he “all the time simply knew” he was going to be an actor, he remembers, earlier than apologizing if that sounds conceited. His early desires of being wealthy, well-known, and starring in movies with Leonardo DiCaprio quickly met the marginally much less glamorous actuality of learning musical theater at an Edinburgh performing arts college.

After he graduated, Doherty labored quite a lot of odd jobs. He juggled shifts in bars and eating places, retailers, answering telephones in a name heart, and he even joined a bunch of Polish immigrant ladies for a short stint as a housekeeper. He couldn’t afford to reside in London, the place most auditions are held, however ultimately his first break got here when he landed the function of Sean Matthews in The Lodge, a musical drama and thriller tv sequence that premiered on the Disney Channel. This led to a job in Disney’s Descendants 2, a 2017 musical fantasy tv movie, which he reprised for Descendants 3 two years later. Subsequent got here Excessive Constancy, a 2020 romantic comedy sequence starring Zoë Kravitz. This underlined his standing as one in every of TV’s new heartthrobs, with The Cut dedicating an entire article to unpacking why, exactly, he’s so scorching.

Doherty is refreshing to speak to, as a result of he doesn’t communicate in gushing phrases about every part he’s finished as an actor. Actually, generally he sounds borderline apologetic about it. “My very first thing was Disney, and it sort of received into that discipline. And when you’re in there, it’s barely more durable to get out,” he explains. “I did begin to really feel like I wasn’t doing the appearing that I all the time hoped and dreamed for.” We discuss in regards to the “Venn diagram,” the place, as a inventive, the work you actually love doesn’t all the time match up with the work that pays the payments or will get you essentially the most publicity, which makes it much more satisfying on the uncommon events it does. “Similar to any profession, some individuals are very fortunate, they usually can dive straight into careers the place they’re doing what they’ve all the time needed to do,” he says. “However for the overwhelming majority of individuals, it’s undoubtedly a stepping-stone factor.”

What’s the following step, then? He has simply returned from Kentucky, the place he was filming Dandelion, an indie movie costarring KiKi Layne, which he describes as essentially the most creatively fulfilling work he’s finished. “The subsequent step for me is unquestionably one thing that’s much more character and appearing based mostly, and I do know that sounds ridiculous, as a result of I’m an actor!” he laughs. “However in quite a lot of these tasks, quite a lot of it’s commercialized and studios are concerned, so that they wish to promote a product, basically.”

This frankness is sort of typical of Scottish individuals. Southern English individuals are extra related to the traditional British cliché of tiptoeing round issues with flowery language. However a extra localized stereotype is that, the additional north you go in the UK, that disappears. Scottish individuals are extra recognized for attending to the purpose, swearing, and, sometimes, reducing individuals right down to measurement. I ask about what his mother and father take into consideration their son attending fancy occasions just like the Met Gala, being a Dior Magnificence ambassador, and having virtually as many Instagram followers as your complete Scottish inhabitants. “They’re actually happy with me,” he says. “However they’re not likely part of that world. They’re like, ‘Go do your factor!’” He laughs in settlement once I say that the Scottish tendency to make enjoyable of anybody who brags about their success most likely precludes them from boasting about his achievements.

Gossip Woman has thrown Doherty into a brand new sphere, too: social media discourse. Max is a queer function, however Doherty has solely ever publicly dated ladies. (He was in a relationship together with his Descendents 2 costar Dove Cameron between 2017 and 2020.) He has beforehand stated that he believes sexuality is a “spectrum” and that he isn’t eager on labels. However just lately, Harry Types confronted assume piece-heavy backlash for making the same assertion whereas taking on a gay role within the 2022 interval romance movie My Policeman. A couple of weeks earlier than our dialog, Package Connor, star of Netflix’s homosexual teen drama Heartstopper, tweeted that he felt “forced” to come back out publicly as bisexual after being accused of “queerbaiting,” a advertising and marketing method through which entertainers trace at, however don’t affirm, queerness to be able to revenue from LGBTQ+ followers. (Doherty hadn’t heard of Connor, or the story of his popping out, however says it sounds “so unhappy” once I supply a short abstract.)

I’m wondering if he was ready for being requested about his personal sexuality in interviews, or if he’s ever fearful about saying the improper factor. “I imply, Twitter’s a fucking open-air asylum, so that you’re damned if you happen to do and damned if you happen to don’t, so I attempt to keep the fuck away from that,” he says. “However that’s the attractive factor about being an actor as effectively, that it opens your thoughts a lot once you’re enjoying totally different characters.” And does he ever fear that he will probably be accused of queerbaiting? “I feel, if I do know in my coronary heart of hearts that that’s not what I’m doing, or will ever do …” he hesitates, “as a result of it’s arduous, isn’t it? One man’s ‘queerbaiting’ is one other man tapping into a distinct a part of the spectrum that I feel all of us inhabit.”

Typically, Doherty thinks social media encourages individuals to go searching for grievances and not using a correct trigger. “For instance, this interview,” he pauses, “individuals will learn it and simply fucking wait to be indignant about one thing!” However on the flipside, he additionally thinks it’s “wonderful” that younger individuals are so politically educated and that TV is now reflecting totally different experiences and views. “Previous to social media, we had newspapers and tv, which have been all managed by Rupert Murdoch,” he says. “However now, individuals see extra injustice and wish to learn up on it, and turn into educated about it.”

Realizing his phrases is perhaps dissected, I’m wondering why Doherty appears fairly relaxed speaking about discourse-heavy matters. “I assume I’m very assured in my beliefs and who I’m. I do know I’m by no means going to say one thing to harm somebody, or a bunch of individuals—ever,” he says, definitively. “Reside and let reside is the way in which that I reside.” One of these optimism is frequent in his responses—maybe as a result of as a younger actor whose profession is on the rise, why wouldn’t he be?

We finish our dialog on one such word. “I’m fortunate sufficient to have labored, so I’ve realized that that alone doesn’t make you cheerful in any respect,” he says. So what does make him glad, I ask. “I simply wish to be creatively fulfilled, make cool shit with cool individuals, and have a roof over my head.”