Courtesy of The CW
Do you think the Upper East Side is ready for the arrival of a Baldwin? We can’t wait!
Billy Baldwin is joining the cast of Gossip Girl! He makes his big debut at 9 p.m. tonight as Serena’s (Blake Lively) long lost father, Dr. Van der Woodsen. HollywoodLife.com got the chance to speak with Billy, and he spilled on the surprising technique he uses to get in touch with his new role as Serena’s dad. “One of the tricks I would do with Blake is pretend that [Blake] literally was my daughter Jameson,” he told us. “I would try to imagine how I would feel if I was slammed with these circumstances where I hadn’t seen my own daughter for 15 years and then all of a sudden here I am walking back in.”
To make the reunion seem as real as possible, Billy chose not to meet Blake until the moment the cameras were rolling. “With Blake’s character, I thought after not having seen her since she was four or five years old, it would be better to preserve that and not spoil it,” he said. “And have that moment when the cameras roll and we lay eyes on each other for the first time for well over a decade, experiencing that helped my performance and all of our back story.”
Billy’s character will only appear on the last four episodes of season three, but he hopes he’ll be able to return for season four! “I would love that,” he told us. “Hopefully, it will create some watercolor moment when people debate whether or not I will be back. The way it’s written and executed, it’s such a cliffhanger that all at the same time, it’s going to be like: how could he not come back, or of course he’s coming back, AND he better not come back. If he does, they better not fall for his BS again.”
As for how Serena responds to the return of her father: “She loves her daddy so much, you can tell it’s real,” Billy explained. “He adores her as well. He wants her back in his life.”
But even though Billy is excited about his new role and the possibility of a permanent future with Gossip Girl, he WILL NOT let his daughter Jameson watch him perform. “She’s 10!” he says. “My daughter will not be watching Gossip Girl. This is a show for mature women that are five years out of college!”
We agree with Billy’s parenting. Censorship for his young daughter is definitely warranted. But, even though Jameson won’t be watching her daddy on TV, we sure will be. And hopefully, Billy’s performance earns him a permanent role on Gossip Girl!
Will you be tuning into Gossip Girl tonight to watch Billy Baldwin’s big debut?
— Lindsey DiMattina
