Breaking Free: Chace Crawford's Escape from 'Pretty Boy Jail' After Gossip Girl
Chace Crawford Breaks Free from "Pretty Boy Jail"
In a recent episode of The Good Guys podcast, Chace Crawford, 39, spills the tea on his journey out of the "pretty boy jail" he felt trapped in after Gossip Girl.
The CW drama catapulted him to stardom as the dashing Nate Archibald, but success came with a price. Crawford confesses that it was a creative obstacle that stifled his growth as an actor: "I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after Gossip Girl...because people thought, 'Oh, that's not cool anymore.' And I'm in this box now."
He describes being typecast as a pretty boy and romantic lead, with Hollywood refusing to see him beyond that image. Crawford admits he was harder on himself than he needed to be: "I think people think actors make a ton more money and have way more agency than we actually do."
But Crawford's persistence paid off when he landed the role of The Deep in Amazon Prime's hit series, The Boys. This dark, gritty satire marked a turning point for him, allowing him to break free from the "pretty boy" label.
"I was probably harder on myself than I needed to be," Crawford reflects. "I wanted to dig my teeth into something more, you know? And when I read the pilot of The Boys, I was like, 'Oh, this is f**ing great.'"
Crawford shares that he instantly connected with the insecure and self-absorbed character: "You know, I know a hundred of those guys. So, I instantly felt confident and excited about my take on the character." He nailed the audition by reading two contrasting scenes, which won over the showrunner.
"It was great," Crawford says. "I was so happy to have another job that I was excited about, and the character was so different from anything that I had done before."
Fast forward to his love life: Crawford has been spotted with Victoria's Secret model Kelsey Merritt, 28. On Alex Cooper's Call My Daddy podcast, he reveals his dating dealbreakers: "Punctuality" and "bad tats." When asked about his stance on neck tattoos, Crawford quips, "Maybe a neck-tat is probably a deal breaker for me," but hastily adds, "It’s actually never happened!"
With his newfound confidence as an actor, Chace Crawford is ready to take on new challenges. Will he continue to break free from the constraints of Hollywood, or will he remain stuck in the "pretty boy" box? Only time will tell.
Sources:
- The Good Guys podcast
- Alex Cooper's Call My Daddy podcast
