Chace Crawford knows many fans still remember him best as Nate Archibald from “Gossip Girl“. But more than a decade after the CW teen drama ended, the actor is opening up about how tough it was to move past the pretty-boy image that made him famous.
On a recent episode of the Good Guys podcast, Crawford shared that post-Gossip Girl life wasn’t as easy or glamorous as it may have seemed from the outside.
Chace Crawford Gets Real About Life After the Series Ended
Reflecting on the years after the show wrapped in 2012, Crawford admitted he struggled to break free from the CW mold.
“I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after Gossip Girl, because as big of a show as it was, coming off of it as a still young guy, [I felt like], ‘Oh, that’s not cool anymore,’” he said.
“And I’m in this box now. I’m in this jail of like the CW pretty boy, who has no range. So, I felt that, and I was probably harder on myself than I needed to be.”
Crawford Reveals Why ‘The Boys’ Role Came at the Right Time
Now starring as The Deep in Prime Video’s hit superhero series The Boys, Crawford says the role came at just the right time—and allowed him to take a risk.
“It was great. I was so happy to have another job that I was excited about and that the character was so different from anything that I had done before,” he said.
Crawford called The Boys “so out there and original and weird,” which is precisely what drew him in. After a few frustrating years of false starts and projects that didn’t click, the chance to play something unexpected gave him a sense of creative renewal.
Looking back, Crawford said he’s deeply grateful for what The Boys gave him—a fresh start, and a role that pushed him out of the box he once felt stuck in.
“It was not lost on me, how difficult after those four years of some false starts on some TV shows, it could be difficult to find another thing. And I was really, really appreciative when this happened … after being on something like Gossip Girl,” he explained.
“Not that I took it for granted, it was just so fresh and I was so young, that by the end of it, you inevitably have taken some of it for granted.”
You can watch the full interview here:
What’s Next for “The Boys”?
Crawford’s new chapter is still going strong. The Boys is headed into its fifth and final season on Prime Video, while the franchise continues to grow. The animated spin-off The Boys Presents: Diabolical is streaming now, along with the college-based Gen V. Meanwhile, The Boys: Mexico is in the works, with Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal producing.
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Chace Crawford Opens Up About Life After ‘Gossip Girl’