Same Luxury, More Diversity: Gossip Girl returns starring Zión Moreno
By David Villafranca
Los Angeles, USA, Jul 8 (EFE).- Gossip Girl, the famous television series about the lives of New York’s young super rich, returns to the screen just as luxurious, posh and exclusive as ever, but this time with more diversity with Mexican-American trans actress Zión Moreno in a starring role.
On Thursday, HBO Max will premiere the return of the series that, with six seasons aired between 2007 and 2012, launched the careers of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.
The secrets, betrayals and gossiping of the children of New York high society, always under the watchful eye of a mysterious blogger with a thousand eyes in every corner, continue in this new version of Gossip Girl whose cast, along with Zión Moreno, also includes Jordan Alexander, Eli Brown, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Emily Alyn Lind and Thomas Doherty.
The new Gossip Girl begins with the reunion of sisters Julien (Jordan Alexander) and Zoya (Whitney Peak) at an affordable private school.
But that’s just the trigger for a host of love, heartbreak, friendships, backstabbing and surprises that unfold against a backdrop of fashion shows, expensive restaurants and exclusive clubs.
Gossip Girl is adapting to the times, not only by changing the original series’ blog for an Instagram account (the voice is still Kristen Bell’s) but also by opting for greater diversity in its cast.
This is how Zión Moreno, a trans and American actress of Mexican descent, the new Gossip Girl is embracing inclusion, she explained to Efe.
“I think it is definitely a reflection of the times and how people have evolved to understanding that queerness is not something that is taboo: it’s something normal,” explained Moreno, who in “Gossip Girl” brings to life the calculating and Machiavellian Luna.
“And I think she does it in a very authentic way. It represents queerness without explicitly stating that a character is queer and I think that’s the way to go,” she said.
