Warning: If you’re an out-of-work actor, this story may induce uncontrollable head-scratching and/or violent convulsions.
Gossip Girl third-stringer Connor Paolo, who plays Blake Lively’s little (and recently outed) brother, Eric van der Woodsen, has rejected an offer from the show to become a series regular.
OMFGRUSERIOUS? Totally serious.
So what’s the deal? Is he scared to be gaycast, as Thomas Dekker allegedly was circa Heroes? Nah. My Gossip rumor monger insists that the One Life to Live alum is “totally comfortable playing a gay character.” More likely, it’s about dollars and common sense.
See, the deal that was put before Paolo was not for all shows produced, or ASP as it’s called in the biz. Rather, the contract called for him to appear in only half of this season’s 25 episodes, which is about what he’s been averaging as a recurring player, anyway. So, basically, by remaining a free agent, he’s got the same gig with none of the strings attached.
“He probably didn’t want to commit to being ninth fiddle on a show,” theorizes one TV agent. “Sure, he’ll make less money, but he’s free to accept other opportunities in TV and film should they come along. It’s not a bad move if you have aspirations to do other things.”
And although a Gossip rep declined to comment, and so did Paolo’s agent, my insider stresses that, contract or no, the young thespian remains happily committed to TV’s hottest soap for the foreseeable future. Schedule permitting, of course.
So what do you think? Is Paolo a JV David Caruso with an ego that’s bigger than his resume? Did he go all nervous Nellie over the prospect of setting off casting directors’ gaydar forevermore? Or is this all much ado about less than nothing? Theories below!
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Serious much ado about nothing. “He didn’t sign because he’d be doing the same amount of episodes, with more strings attached.” Yawn.
mucha ado about nothing.
Wow. Slow news day.
I want YOUR job.
I’m glad he’s not leaving the show (your headline scared me). Eric is one of my favorite characters, because I love having someone sane to root for within all the awesome craziness of the rest of the GGs.
he hates playing gay, it’s so obvious, and i think he is hot, but i don’t cry because she, sorry, he is leaving.
Hey, wha? This doesnt have anything to do with Twilight. Come on, cant you guys find some angle?
I just think it’s too bad they don’t use him more. His character is awesome.
he’s probably also busy because he is a student at NYU
This seems like non-news to me, it cancels itself out.
Ausiello, if you’re reading this, just ignore all these guys who keep saying “much ado about nothing”. Some of us, me included, find this kind of story interesting, and thank you for bringing it to us.
I have to agree – this is non-news. The guy’s going to appear in just as many episodes as he would if he signed a binding contract, and that’s noteworthy? And he says he has no problem playing a gay character, but you insist he must, simply because you yourself aren’t confident enough to out yourself? Definitely much ado about nothing.
And it’s lazy writing to boot. As PeterBilt The Nature Boy commented, you could easily have said, “Gossip Girl third-stringer Connor Paolo, who is not currently starring in Twilight but is reportedly a big fan of the series, etc. etc. etc.” That way you could tie into the same theme as every other article EW has published in the last nine weeks.
This isn’t so much non-news, but entertainment business news and therefore not appealing to those whose only interest in entertainment reporting are spoilers and about behind the scenes scandals.
The kid’s agents made a smart move in the long run both for his career (the more roles he gets, the more exposure) and their pocketbooks. In a time where people are unemployed at almost record amounts and an economy that is sinking like a stone and dragging the world down with it, it would have been tempting to sign on as a regular just for the security, but you don’t go into this business for security, right?
And yes, this is a rather slow entertainment news day so far.
Sounds smart to me, why limit himself if he can continue his gg role & accept other gigs.
I think this news-item is interesting. I was wondering about his status and if he is going to become a series regular.