This Leighton Meester cover story originally appeared in—and has been adapted from—Glamour Spain.
Leighton Meester is in Alabama. She’s wearing a gray sweatshirt, not a drop of makeup, holding a cup of coffee. She’s been shooting late into the night for several days, an occupational hazard, but the actor is ready to return to her real life in California where her husband and two children await.
Meester, age 39, loves to work, but work isn’t everything. She talks about the quiet simplicity of being home with her family, and it sounds easy, almost dreamlike. Taking walks, listening to music, going to the beach, hanging with the kids. She talks about how much fun it is to ride a bike, as if she just learned how.
But she also makes it clear that acting hasn’t been cast aside—she’s been working on several projects that are remarkably different from one another. There’s Adulting, an indie in which she plays, as she calls the character, “a bit of a loser” who talks to her teenage self to figure out where it all went wrong. There’s the CW comedy Good Cop/Bad Cop, a quirky police procedural that follows siblings working as detectives in a small town. There’s the guest-starring role on season 2 of The Buccaneers, the hit period drama on Apple TV+ that is based on the Edith Wharton novel of the same name, set in 1800s London; and a guest-starring role on the buzzy new HBO comedy I Love LA, out November 2. Then, of course, there’s the upcoming season of the massively popular Netflix dramedy Nobody Wants This, which she’ll join alongside her husband, Adam Brody.
And yet, talking to Meester via Zoom, it’s hard to not see and hear the character she’s most known for, the one that can be called iconic without a trace of irony or hyperbole: Blair Waldorf, the New York City private school queen bee from Gossip Girl, the seminal teen soap based on the YA fiction series by Cecily von Ziegesar. The drama ran on the CW network from 2007 to 2012 and—also not hyperbole—defined a generation while still inspiring spirited debates and yearly rewatches by both devoted fans and curious newcomers. It’s a little scary to ask Meester about Blair—she’s probably tired of talking about it, right?—but the actress answers as you’d expect, and happily. She was in her 20s, she says, and enjoyed the process of making the show and is grateful for the fans.
A lot has changed since 2007, and although Meester hasn’t stopped working since then, there’s been chatter of a comeback. The recent pop culture nostalgia boom has favored stars of her era—including her husband, Brody—which she’s pleased about. But she’s working and has been working, on series big and small, indie films and bigger-budget productions. Meester’s trajectory is refreshing—it doesn’t appear as though she’s seeking major vanity projects or awards bait, but rather great roles that she connects with and that allow her to flex her skills as an actor while letting her live the quiet life she cherishes. Below, the actor talks about her long career, how she connects with herself, why she thinks people still idolize Blair Waldorf, and more.
Glamour: Hi! I know you’re down south right now. What are you shooting? Can you tell us about it?
I’m shooting a movie called Adulting. It’s a comedy, and my character is in a bad place. She’s a bit of a loser, and then she starts imagining that she meets her teenage self and tells her what she thinks about her life right now. It’s fun.
If that happened in real life, what do you think your teenage self would tell you?
I wish that were possible. In the film, it’s suggested that, at the end, the teenage self still doesn’t quite know what to do with her life, but I think there’s a lot of strength and wisdom in that process of self-knowledge that never ends. I don’t like to look back with regret. A lot of things happen to you in life, and sometimes you wish you hadn’t gone through so much pain or shame or whatever, but I don’t know if it would be worth it. I think I would thank that younger version of myself for being strong.
I recently got to see an episode of the new season of Nobody Wants This in which you appear. What’s that been like?
It’s such a fun series and so good. And then it has very intense moments on an emotional level that really get to you.
Your character is a textbook influencer. Do you get the sense that actors now have to be influencers?
I think it’s always sort of been that way. The personal lives of big stars have always been exposed and scrutinized. Stars used let the press into their homes to introduce their new baby, which is crazy. And now social media allows you to do that while completely controlling what other people see of your life. It’s no longer just about them seeing you at an event or in a few pictures where you appear from afar, nope. It’s something much more intimate and at the same time controlled. I think of the case of Elizabeth Taylor. I just saw a documentary about her in which there are many images, videos, tapes, recordings, and press clippings over which she had no control. I wonder if she would have liked us to see that.
There’s big talk on the internet and social media about “Leighton’s comeback.” However, you’ve been working steadily. Do you have the feeling that you’re “back”?
I think it’s just a funny, catchy headline. I don’t think it’s being used with malice—on the contrary. I think it comes from kindness. But it’s been the result of the combination of several things, and I think that this business and this profession work in waves.
What’s the difference between the Leighton Meester we saw on Gossip Girl and the Leighton Meester of 2025?
It’s just what we were talking about before—about meeting our younger self. I was 20 at the time and a lot has happened, you know? I think I’ve been very lucky because I’ve always enjoyed every project I’ve worked on that’s challenged me in different ways. Every character I’ve played represents a part of me, a part of my life, and even a particular period of time for a lot of people.
Going from your 20s to your 40s involves so much, a lot of time growing up and having experiences. And despite how much you may plan, life still surprises you most of the time. I think it’s also good to have that perspective that gives you the ability to say, “Oh my gosh, that happened to me 20 or 15 years ago.” I met one of my best friends in 2006, so we’ve been friends for almost 20 years and we’ve had children at the same time, among many other things. Having children [makes you] more aware of the passage of time. But I think stopping and looking back, and being aware of what you’ve done, has a lot of benefits.
Are you amazed that, 20 years later, Blair Waldorf is still a reference for so many women?
It’s so interesting. I’d say the nostalgia factor has a lot to do with it—there’s a lot of nostalgia for the ’00s, isn’t there? I really appreciate fans of the series, especially when I can interact with them and enjoy an interesting conversation. I love it. But about Blair Waldorf still being influential, I can only speak to what attracted me to the character, and that’s her imperfections. I think we all see ourselves in her in some way. Blair is a person with flaws, and of course, there’s also the whole glamour thing surrounding her and that fantasy part. But that’s not what helped me connect with her. I don’t know anything about that glamorous world; it has nothing to do with how I grew up or how my life was and is, and I certainly don’t think that’s why people have connected with Blair so much.
You’re turning 40 this year. How do you feel about that?
Forty, you know, is a big number and I don’t know how to feel about it. I’m certainly not afraid of it, and one thing I do want to do is celebrate it. The truth is it sounds very adult and I don’t know if I feel very adult. Maybe in some ways I do, but in other ways I’m still the same old girl. I guess I look forward because the truth is that, in many ways, things are getting better. Growing up always brings up bittersweet feelings. It’s like with my children: I love that they grow up and learn and mature, but at the same time it’s a little bit sad that they’re getting older. And then, I don’t want to get all dark, but as you get older you’re technically getting closer to the end.
How do you practice self-care? What do you do to take time for yourself?
The simple things are important. Being able to rest, having things available to me that I know make me feel better and not worse, like going for walks—I try to go for walks as much as I can, even if I’m in a city. Reading and therapy, which has been important to me for many years. And then getting hooked on my phone or social media is one of the things that makes me feel the worst, so I try to avoid it as much as I can. I know for a lot of people it’s a way to make a living and their way of connecting with others—so I think it’s important in that sense—but I don’t think it was designed for that. I think it was designed to not make you feel good. It’s also important to have hobbies and be active. I love music, going out in nature, hiking or surfing, or just being on the beach or going for a bike ride. Isn’t riding a bike the most fun?
It is the most fun!
That’s it. [Laughs.] Get on the bike. And then another thing to keep in mind is the importance of being informed, knowing what’s going on in the world. I think there’s an instinct to try to stay away from what’s happening because it makes us angry, but it’s very human to have an emotional response. You have to find balance. It’s good to be informed, and it’s also natural to be disappointed by what’s going on.
Do you think that as an actress and public figure, you should use your fame to give visibility to any cause?
I don’t know about using my fame, but my face or my image to do something good, yes. And I don’t think it’s an obligation, but a privilege. I’ve also discovered how easy it is to get involved and dedicate your time. For example, Feeding America is an organization that I’ve volunteered with, and I’m fascinated by their work. They’re very transparent when it comes to donations, and there are so many opportunities to collaborate with them. So giving time to them [has been] beneficial on all levels.
You’re about to appear in season 2 of Nobody Wants This, but you have a lot of other projects going on, like the comedy series Good Cop/Bad Cop and period drama The Buccaneers, which takes place in the 1800s. What are you looking forward to next?
Buccaneers has been something very new for me. I’d never explored a character or been on a project that took place in that time period, and it’s been a lot of fun. Putting yourself in the shoes of a modern character is a little easier, but putting yourself in the shoes of someone who lived over 150 years ago is incredible. And fun. And challenging. If I had a bucket list, Buccaneers would definitely be on it. I was recently asked a similar question, and I said I’d love to do something with action, and one of the next projects I’m going to do is a comedy but there’s also a lot of action, so I’m very excited.
Before we go, I want to read you your horoscope, Aries, for today. Tell me if it says something to you: “You don’t need to explore. You have what you need right where you are.”
That’s funny. I was just thinking about going for a walk and exploring, but it’s so hot here in Alabama! Sometimes you have to accept that you need to rest. Maybe I’ll listen to that prediction.
This interview has been translated, condensed, and edited for clarity.
Photography: Thomas Giddings
Styling: Mapi Vidal @mapi
Makeup: Hadia Kabir for Merit
Hair: Lauren Palmer Smith
Nails: Alex Jachno at Opus Beauty using OPI
Production: Anthony Federici
Production assistants: Gage Gaubert; Estefania Pulido; Akeem Glenn
Photo assistants: Andrew Hazeltine; Brandon Yee
Styling assistants: Sandra Pardo @sandrapardod; Margrit Jacobsen