The "Golden Boy" as Gossip Girl called him — Nate Archibald — played by then-22-year-old Chace Crawford. In the series finale, the reluctant prince of Upper East Side became the most career-successful in the group. But the same cannot be said for the actor who played him.
Crawford's breakout role was somewhat a curse. He was reduced to being a teenage dreamboat and the "stupidity" of his role which he himself acknowledged.
Director Joel Schumacher also confessed to objectifying the Gossip Girl star in his 2010 film, Twelve. It was labeled "the worst movie in the history of Sundance," largely due to Crawford's uninventive lead role as an Upper East Side high-school dropout who sells drugs to his rich friends.
As a result, LA Times ruled Crawford's post-Gossip Girl potential as "not so great" due to "lack of range." But recently, the 36-year-old actor seems to be working on a career renaissance for himself. Here's how.
Starring In Amazon Prime's 'The Boys'
After an uneventful foray into films from 2010 to 2014, Crawford went back to TV in 2015. He was cast for the lead role of Billy LeFever in ABC's Blood & Oil — a short-lived primetime soap opera ending only after 10 episodes. The actor went back to making low-budget films in 2016. Then he landed a recurring role in Hulu's hit comedy series, Casual, in 2017. Unfortunately, the show ended at its peak after two seasons.
In 2018, the Eloise star was finally cast in a major TV role — The Deep — in the acclaimed Amazon Prime series, The Boys. The ongoing comic book adaptation has an impressive 8.5 rating on IMDb. In 2020, Forbes wrote: "'The Boys' Ratings Are So Strong It’s Challenging Netflix’s Top Hits."
The Deep is a distinctly mature character compared to Nate. It allowed Crawford to reemerge in the spotlight with a whole new image. Fans even say he looks like the Hemsworth brothers. The former teenage heartthrob has evolved into a sex symbol.
Joining Nina Dobrev In The Ensemble Comedy 'Reunion'
In August 2021, it was announced that Crawford will be joining Chris Nelson's ensemble comedy film, Reunion. The cast will feature a diverse set of TV stars: Vampire Diaries alum Nina Dobrev, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Michael Hitchcock, Gotham's Jamie Chung, Made for Love's Billy Magnussen, Home Sweet HomeGoods' Jillian Bell, and Small Fortune host Lil Rel Howery.
Crawford's Thoughts On 'Gossip Girl' 10 Years Later
In 2020, Crawford had a mini-reunion via Zoom call with Penn Badgley who played Dan AKA the real Gossip Girl. The former co-stars reflected on their time in Gossip Girl and discussed their new roles — Crawford as The Deep and Badgley as Joe in the Netflix hit thriller series, You. "It was interesting to see a guy I worked with for so long on my TV screen again," Crawford told Badgley.
"I honestly was so excited to see you play this dignified superhero," Badgley said about Crawford's satirical superhero character. "And then I’m like, 'Oh, no. It just took such a turn.'" The two also revealed that they're "uncomfortable" watching the original Gossip Girl on their own. They previously said no to a cameo in the reboot but they mentioned the idea of live-tweeting a viewing party with their other co-stars, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Ed Westwick.