"I haven't really rewatched any of it": The Boys star reveals why he avoids his breakout role

Chace Crawford, now satirical superhero "The Deep" on The Boys, recently looked back on his humble beginnings and the role that first catapulted him into stardom—Nate Archibald on teen soap Gossip Girl. The star, now a household name for his role on one of television's darkest and most irreverent programs, acknowledged he's made an intentional distance from his initial breakout role.

During an interview with People, he admitted,

"I haven't really rewatched any of it. I'd be terrified. It's a bit embarrassing."

He added that his approach to acting and sense of self have changed over time. He added,

"As a young man, you take yourself too seriously, I think everything's so precious, and you want to be this Marlon Brando. And I think there gets a point too in a show that's popular where you get your sense of identity and who you are kind of becomes wrapped up in not just that character or the character's popularity, but the show.”

These words offer a rare window into how he views his earlier work—more as a chapter that helped him grow than something he wants to relive. While he grew up to be a household name as the wholesome Upper East Sider on Gossip Girl, Crawford's reluctance to return to that era is not so much about how well the show was made and more about what it's like to see a younger version of himself on screen, getting education in a rough trade.

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Chace Crawford’s views on his early work on The Boys

Crawford's remarks are far from surprising, particularly considering the emotional detachment of seeing one's own younger self on TV. Before joining the series, he was already a huge fan of Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's work in The O.C. series. According to People, he puts it,

"I grew up on [that series in] late high school, early college. I would go to O.C. viewing parties, and I thought it was awesome."

He continued,

"It was a little bit of a guilty pleasure when I [was] watching the Season 2 finale by myself in college."

He went on to explain how watching himself so young, amidst his fame and trying to make it in Hollywood, is embarrassing now, looking back. Although the majority of the fans continue to cherish Gossip Girl, the show remains a fond memory for Crawford.

This space is more of humility than of judgment. Crawford did not speak negatively about the show or his co-stars; rather, he spent time discussing how surreal it is to appear on television forevermore, working through complicated scripts and foreign admiration at a young age.

What he did say is part of a larger trend in Hollywood, where actors arrive to grow emotionally and professionally past what created their early lives.

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The distinction between The Boys and Gossip Girl

Part of why Crawford might be so out of touch with his past career is the tonal shift of such magnitude between The Boys and Gossip Girl. In Gossip Girl, he was a privileged and uptight teenager. In The Boys, he is The Deep, a morally ambiguous superhero struggling with responsibility, image rehabilitation, and failure on a personal level. The dichotomy between The Boys is confusing, both character-wise and thematically, between shows.

As per People, he also ruminated on the current landscape of teen shows. While Crawford grew up watching The O.C. and starring in Gossip Girl, teens today watch Euphoria. He stated,

"And now the bar is in a different place, reflecting on teen dramas of today. It's Euphoria, which is very dark. I watched every episode of Euphoria. I loved it. But that's such a different show than Gossip Girl."

He went on to praise Gossip Girl and expressed

"It's definitely a lot of fun. It's campy, and it's just a blast that people still connect with it and still see us out in the world and come up and say hi.”

As Gossip Girl dove into glamour and social soap opera, The Boys makes judgments about power relationships, fame culture, and institutional corruption. Crawford's involvement with the latter leaves him with space to delve into grubbier, more complex aspects of performance. It is not surprising, therefore, that he admits it is tough to return to those easier, more innocent roles in his previous career.

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Why do many actors dread returning to their past roles?

Crawford's case on The Boys is not exceptional in the entertainment field. The majority of actors who gained fame in their early years have admitted to steering clear of their early work. Either because of changing taste, enhanced skills, or indifference to feelings, the emotion is quite prevalent. Seeing oneself act as a novice actor is a blur to behold, particularly when these acts have been analyzed and put into perpetuity by public opinion as well.

For Crawford, the experience is likely worsened by the all-consuming attention that came with being a cultural phenomenon like Gossip Girl. Despite the success and the fanbase, he's kept things in check about it. By not re-watching those episodes, he's drawing a line between the person he was at the time and the actor he is today—older, self-aware, and more confident in his evolving identity.

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Fame, expansion, and artistic distance

While he's no longer living the Gossip Girl life, Crawford is unfazed. His head is filled with a genuine recognition of expansion. In an interview with People, he was not trashing the show but instead described the feeling of being strange about looking back on a time when all things—career, image, and even personality—were still growing. For someone now living a professional lives that live on the edge, the smooth facade of Nate Archibald may just no longer ring true with who he is these days.

This kind of distance is, in large part, a sign of artistic maturity. Instead of reaching for nostalgia, Crawford is reaching forward, taking on risks and playing characters that push him, such as The Deep on The Boys. His career trajectory these days diverges from the neat world of Gossip Girl, and it's apparent that this isn't lost on him.

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Looking ahead to The Boys, not back

Finally, Crawford is one of aspiration, not a denial of origin. His sincere acknowledgement—that he hasn't seen his breakout show since it was done, and it feels strange—isn't about separating himself from fans or celebrity. It's about embracing the clumsiness that comes with viewing an older iteration of yourself struggling with early success. For an actor who is a member of one of television's most innovative shows, there is even more appeal in thinking towards the future instead of back.

By revealing his sentiments regarding Gossip Girl, Chace Crawford is part of a generation-long tradition of actors who have spoken out about the pitfalls of fame at a young age. With The Boys full of establishing his range, his words only serve to continue the arc, from teen heartthrob to deep character in a graphic, satirical world.

Also read: The Boys Showrunner reveals what to expect from the final Season of the show