Leighton Meester: ‘My Friends Think I’m a Weird Hippy Girl’
Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester was swept away by the magic of France last summer when she filmed her new movie Monte Carlo, opposite Selena Gomez and Katie Cassidy.
“It was the most amazing time of my life. I was with the most wonderful people. We filmed in Budapest, Paris, and Monte Carlo. It wasn’t too shabby!” the 25-year-old actress told Parade.com.
Not surprisingly, filming a movie in France turned out to be more of a vacation than work.
“Off camera, we got to go to the beach, the most amazing restaurants, and shopping. It was like a vacation. It was the most amazing location. We were staying in the hotel where we shot the film, so it was really fancy.”
Not only did the actress take in the sights while she was abroad, she also developed a close friendship with co-star Selena Gomez.
“She’s extremely mature and totally got along with all of us. She was saying that she was intimidated because we were older, but she is so mature for her age. If anything, she taught me a lot and I learned a lot from her. She’s incredibly talented. The three of us girls were in our own little pack and we had our inside jokes and were like ‘No boys allowed!’”
This summer, Leighton plans to focus on her biggest love: music.
“I’m in the phase of recording and performing with the band. We’ve had gigs out in L.A. It’s the most fun part of my life. It’s so exciting and it makes me feel so alive. I want to release an album very soon — hopefully before the end of the year. In the meantime, I want people to get a glimpse of what I’m doing. I love live music and I love to see people’s faces when I’m performing.”
Will she take her vocal talents to her Monte Carlo co-star, Cory Monteith’s hit show, Glee?
“Honestly, before I started working on the movie last summer, I hadn’t even heard of Glee. I’m so out of the loop. But working with Cory was so fun. He’s such a joy and really hilarious, so working with him on anything would be really fun.”
Despite the fame around her, the native Texan has managed to stay true to her down-to-earth roots.
“I do so much work that I don’t have a lot of time for my life! When I do get free time, I spend a lot of it at home with my family and my close friends and I think that’s what keeps me happy, healthy, grounded, and totally in check.
It also doesn’t hurt that her friends aren’t impressed with her Hollywood status.
“None of my friends think I’m very cool, so that’s good. I don’t even think about fame at all. My girlfriends always say, ‘I think it’s so weird everyone thinks you’re this star, and I think you’re just this weird hippy girl that I’ve known for years!’”
