‘Gossip Girl’s Megan Ferguson Teases A Struggle Between The Teachers: ‘Power Corrupts, Right?’

View gallery

Unlike the original series, fans didn’t have to wait 6 seasons to find out Gossip Girl’s identity. The new HBO Max series is taking fans on the ride this time as teachers, Kate and Jordan, along with school administrator Wendy, tackle the Gossip Girl Instagram account themselves. Keeping up with the scandalous lives of NYC’s elite and making sure no one finds out they’re running the account is basically a full-time job.

HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Megan Ferguson about Wendy, who was actually the person to get the ball rolling when it comes to the new Gossip Girl. Megan noted that Wendy is all about the drama and is “ready for the chaos.” Unlike Kate and Jordan, Megan said that Wendy doesn’t fear the students whatsoever. She teased “twists and turns” ahead and a power battle behind the scenes.

What was your reaction to the teachers being behind the new Gossip Girl?
Megan Ferguson: The reactions to this show are more than any show I’ve ever been on. There’s a fan base in place, there’s a new generation of fans of the younger actors in place, so it’s really exciting. I had no idea that’s the part Joshua [Safran] had in mind for me, to be a part of the “new Gossip Girl.” Being a part of the teachers, I’m a school administrator, but we’re all part of the same team. I had no idea, so I was totally shocked. The response to the show has been… they view us as a bit villainous. My character, Wendy, especially feels a bit like a villain in that capacity. She’s ready for drama and ready for chaos, so obviously that’s one of the more fun things you can ever be as an actor.

Wendy, Kate, Jordan, and Reema were part of the original Gossip Girl team, but they recently made Reema the scapegoat. Do you think Wendy feels bad about what went down?
Megan Ferguson: I don’t think Wendy spends a lot of time looking backward. I wouldn’t say she’s an empath. I know that’s like a keyword of our time, so I would say Wendy does not identify as an empath.

Does Wendy think Kate and Jordan may do the same thing to her?
Megan Ferguson: I don’t think she considers anyone more powerful than herself.

Wendy and the crew have run into trouble when it comes to trying to keep Gossip Girl a secret. Will there continue to be threats at trying to expose them?
Megan Ferguson: I am literally waiting to read the episode that we are shooting next week, so I am absolutely more in the dark or as in the dark as the viewers. That keeps everybody on their toes. The threat of exposure and the primal stakes are certainly there for Kate and Jordan and somewhat Wendy. So I think there’s probably a lot of twists and turns.

The original Gossip Girl was set in a totally different era. Do you think this new Gossip Girl is capable of really crossing the line of no return like the OG Gossip Girl did?
Megan Ferguson: I certainly think the new version is meta, it’s almost a commentary on the original version. I see lots of tweets that are furious that the teachers are messing with the children. Obviously, as an audience member, you’re watching because you’re curious about these kids’ lives, so I think that we represent the audience in that capacity. We’re a mirror. Look, over the past couple of years the world we live in is so shocking and surprising at every turn, so I would expect Gossip Girl to live up to reality if not surpass it.

Do you think there’s one of the Gossip Girl teens who Wendy is the most intimidated by?
Megan Ferguson: No, I don’t think Wendy is intimidated by them. If anything, she probably thinks she’s still in high school and still the most powerful in high school. Those children don’t bother her.

Is there anything you can tease about what the Gossip Girl crew has up their sleeve next?
Megan Ferguson: I think the teachers are running to keep up with what they’ve created. I think there’s not a lot of strategy and plan in place. I think that it will just become a jockeying of who is in charge and who’s creating the Gossip Girl narrative.

Do you think there may be some tension between the teachers over control?
Megan Ferguson: Sure. I think in the original Gossip Girl you had a single author, right? This was a group creation… Power corrupts, right? We’ll see how it breaks or bonds their relationship.