Cast of “Gossip Girl” (from left): Evan Mock, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Eli Brown, Jordan Alexander, Savannah Lee Smith and Zion Moreno —PHOTOS COURTESY OF HBO MAX
Back when the original “Gossip Girl” series was launched in 2007, it would have been almost unthinkable to see lives unfurl beyond the Upper Eastside “whiteness” of its lead characters, led by Constance Billard School’s Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and her frenemy Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester).
The two photogenic beauties ruled the teenage roost in that swanky Manhattan neighborhood, along with the dreamy guys of St. Jude’s School for Boys, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick).
But times, as they say, are a-changing,
In HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” reboot, which premiered last Thursday on HBO Go, the series’ “competing” half-sisters—“it girl” and top influencer Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander) and bright transferee student Zoya Lott (Whitney Peak)—are gorgeous African American beauties who vie for the undivided attention of the “Prince of Manhattan,” Obie Bergmann (Eli Brown). Their story takes place eight years after the original website went dark.
The trio’s exclusive circle also includes rabble-rousing pansexual Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty), Zoya’s best friend Audrey Hope (Emily Alyn Lind), and Julien’s social media managers, lesbian Monet de Haan (Savannah Lee Smith) and trans woman Luna La (transgender Zion Moreno). How diverse can you get?
Completing Constance Billard’s privileged posse is Audrey’s bi-curious boyfriend, Aki Menzies (Evan Mock), portrayed by Hawaii-born skateboarder, photographer and model Evan Mock, who just happens to be half-Filipino—and proud of it!
When Evan met the Asian press last Monday and he learned that I was interviewing him from the Philippines, the winsome 24-year-old Fil-Am actor proudly declared, “Half-Filipino gang right here, baby (laughs)!”
Although Evan was the first to admit that he hasn’t been to the Philippines just yet.
“My mom has been to the Philippines a bunch of times,” he disclosed. “I haven’t been able to make it over there, but I need to get there as soon as possible.”
Asked to talk more about his Pinoy roots, Evan said, “My mom’s grandparents came over to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane fields. Back in the day, Hawaii used to be the biggest distributor for pure cane sugar.
“So, there were lots of people coming over to work from the Philippines—until it became cheaper [to produce it] in other places.
“Well, there are actually more Filipinos in Hawaii now than there are Hawaiians in Hawaii, so (laughs)…
“And growing up with my mom, when I think about Filipino culture, I think about the food instantly and … I don’t know if I can say this … chicken fighting [“sabong,” or cockfighting] (a misdemeanor offense there). That’s been carried on into the Hawaiian culture, as well. It’s just been a thing I’ve grown up around.”
Evan Mock
Our Q&A with Evan:
Did you watch the original series? How do you think has the impact of social media changed since the heyday of Serena and Blair?
Yeah, I did, even before I even knew I was gonna come and do the show. And I was just a kid back then—and it was a lot of fun!
Social media has had such a major impact on society. It ushered in what we call the technological age of fear, and it has really affected how people think and the kind of information people get from it. In the original, this hardly existed. But it has been integrated nicely into this show—a nice reflection of what it has genuinely become.
What was your high school experience like compared to your character in the series, which presents an exaggerated version of high school. How much of it is rooted in reality compared to your experience?
I never went to school. I was homeschooled my whole life—and I also didn’t even graduate. I said I was going to get my GED, and I never did (laughs). I’ve never really put on a school uniform ever, so this show has been quite my own “experience” of high school drama.
Your character gets entangled in a love triangle with Audrey and Max. Who would you like Aki to end up with?
Honestly, Aki doesn’t really know what he wants right now, so it’s hard to give you an answer. But as a viewer, I would be super down for Obie Bergmann. He’s the richest, come on! That would be securing my life right there … he’d be like my sugar daddy (laughs)!
What did you find most challenging about creating your character?
It gets a little easier every day we show up on set. More and more, you embody the role you play, and it gets easier to relate to it as you film more episodes. It’s been a learning experience, to say the least.
It isn’t as catty as the original, but it certainly addresses sexuality more than the first one. How do you relate to Aki?
For one, he skates. I also relate to him in the sense that we’re just kids trying to figure things out. It makes you realize that it’s OK not to know everything, but it’s also amazing to have people around you who sort of understand that as well.
It has also taught me to deal with my preconceived notions about different types of persons and challenged me to dive deep down into figuring things out—which has been fun.
What do you think is the new “Gossip Girl” trying to say about youth culture today?
I look at the show as a fantasyland because it’s so polar opposite to how I was brought up. I don’t feel it affiliated with real life whatsoever. But that’s not to say that they aren’t addressing today’s real situations and issues.
So, I don’t think they’re trying to say anything. They’re just laying it out on how the upper 1 percent of high school students in the world lives.
Your character has been described as the show’s Nate Archibald (portrayed by Chace Crawford in the original). How has that influenced your portrayal?
No. I think it helps to just have a clean slate going into something like this. Obviously, the show is a continuation of what the original started, but I wanted him to go into this as if it were a brand-new show that no one’s ever seen before or heard about.
I wanted the character to be fresh and new. Fans of the original could see the continuation and fall in love with it just like they did with the original. But it was important for me to create my own character, so I wanted it fresh and not compare myself to anyone else.