[Interview] Gossip Girl’s Thomas Doherty and Evan Mock on who they’d ship and challenges in filming

Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

On screen, Thomas Doherty and Evan Mock play socialite teenagers attending a prestigious private school in teen drama Gossip Girl. Doherty plays flirtatious and immoral Max Wolfe, while Mock plays peacemaker Aki Menzies. Along with the other core characters, their turbulent social lives are what drives the drama of the series. But were their own growing up years just as stormy? Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore talked to the pair about their school years, social media, and playing wealthy students on screen.

“I just went to a public school in Scotland, and [Gossip Girl] is nothing like it at all,” said Doherty of his school years. “And I think this is testament to how much social media has changed how young people operate and work, and I just missed the social media thing, and it’s amazing.”

“I look at sixteen-year-olds now, and I cringe,” the Scottish actor laughed. “It’s completely unrelatable.”

“Back with the original [Gossip Girl], [social media] wasn’t really there, it didn’t really exist,” the 26-year-old said. But for this sequel series, it’s been integrated into a way that’s more genuine.

Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

“It has completely engulfed us,” said Mock, who was homeschooled his whole life.

“I’ve never put on a school uniform, ever,” he said of his experiences.

The half-Filipino actor went on to share that “this has been quite the experience of high school drama, because I’ve never dealt with high school drama, at a school at least.”

Mock shared more about his Hawaiian upbringing, explaining that his great grandparents came to Hawaii to work in sugarcane fields, back when it was a big distributor of sugarcane. In fact, “there are more Filipinos than Hawaiians in Hawaii, now,” said Mock. “When I think about Filipino culture, I think about the food and chicken fighting.”

Julien (Jordan Alexander), Max (Thomas Doherty), Aki (Evan Mock), and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Julien (Jordan Alexander), Max (Thomas Doherty), Aki (Evan Mock), and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Who would they ship on Gossip Girl?

The pair went on to talk about their characters on the show — and who they’d ship them with.

“I think he just wants a finger in every pie,” said Doherty of his character Max. In the show, Max is involved in a web of sexual — and possibly romantic — relationships with several characters.

Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Mock joked that “I’m 57 years old, so I don’t know what ‘ship’ means.” But the 24-year-old shared that “my character right now, he doesn’t know what he wants. So I couldn’t give you an answer.”

In Gossip Girl, Mock’s character, bi-curious Aki, is in the process of exploring his identity.

But after some thought, Mock went for the most practical option. “For a viewer watching, I would be super down for Obie. It’s got to be Obie. He’s the richest, come on! I’m securing my life right here!”

Obie is played by Eli Brown on the show, and he’s the resident nice guy — who also happens to be extremely wealthy.

Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out while Zoya (Whitney Peak) sits by herself in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out while Zoya (Whitney Peak) sits by herself in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Challenges on Gossip Girl

Doherty and Mock also talked about their experiences on set of Gossip Girl.

“For me, the biggest challenge was definitely accent,” said Doherty. His character speaks with an American accent on the show, and the Scotland-born actor spoke with a Scottish accent in the interview.

“When I’m on set, I want to be really present and really focused with what I’m doing, and it’s really hard because you’re thinking about two things at once.”

Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

For Mock, it’s been a learning experience. “It’s easier to kind of relate as you film more episodes.”

New episodes of Gossip Girl are out on HBO GO every Thursday. 

 

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This article was written for and first published on Yahoo Lifestyle SEA.


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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site

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