Jennifer Lawrence as Serena Van Der Woodsen
Before becoming known and recognized worldwide, Jen went through thousands of auditions. Among them was the one from Gossip Girl, to play Serena, the one she didn't get. This was revealed by Josch Schwartz, creator of the series, who did not even remember that Jen had gone through the casting until she was told.
Tiffani Thiessen as Rachel Green
The actress revealed that she went very far in the "Friends" casting, but was finally told no since she was too young. She was only 20 years old and Jennifer Aniston was 25, making her even the youngest of the cast.
Selma Blair as Joey Potter
Kevin Williamson, creator of Dawsons Creek revealed that Selma Blair was his first choice for the role of Joey until he saw a video of Katie Holmes. “When that video came out, it changed my whole life,” says Williamson.
Katherine Heigl as Jen Lindley
Williams was also the one who revealed that Katherine was an option for the role of her, but that she seemed too mature to him. “She looked a little bit older at the time, even though she was younger, I think she was more mature,” she explained, adding that she actually had a good audition, but that Michelle Williams stole their hearts.
Rumer Willis as Serena Van Der Woodsen
Before being left in the hands of Blake Lively, several actresses auditioned and were recommended by the chain. It was the case of Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. According to Buzzfeed, casting director David Rapaport suggested Willis as Serena and Ashley Olsen as Blair.
Olivia Wilde as Marissa Cooper
Josh Schwartz, the creator of the series, says that the options left for him were Olivia Wilde or Mischa Barton, but that he ultimately decided on the latter because "Marissa was a character that Ryan needed to save, and Olivia doesn't need to be saved, she's pretty tough.” He later called her up for the role of Alex in season two, who has an affair with Seth and then Marissa.
Lily Collins as Jenny Humphrey
When she was 17 years old, Lily auditioned for the role of Dan Humphrey's younger sister on "Gossip Girl," and though she wanted very much to be cast, she didn't get the role.
