Bette Midler Just Rewatched ‘Hocus Pocus’ for the First Time in 20 Years

Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen)

Of all the Gossip Girl cast alumni, Blake Lively is arguably the most well-known. Not only has she gone on to major roles in movies — including The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, All I See Is You, and most recently, It Ends with Us— but she's also married to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds (married in 2012).

Blake shares four beautiful daughters, James, Inez, Betty, and the youngest (born in 2023) whose name has not been announced publicly with Ryan. True to her Gossip Girl character, she's quite the fashionista! In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her BFFs, who just so happen to include Taylor Swiftandthe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ladies.

Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf)

Leighton Meester has a career that would make even her cunningly ambitious Queen B character proud. Since Gossip Girl's end in 2012, she's acted in films including Life Partners, The Judge, The Weekend Away, and most recently, EXmas. She even recorded and released songs such as "Good Girls Go Bad" with Cobra Starship and the solo effort "Somebody to Love," and even starred on Broadway in Of Mice and Men back in 2014.

Leighton is married to actor Adam Brody (The O.C., Jennifer's Body, Gilmore Girls) as of 2014. She has two kids – one daughter and one son.

She has been heavily involved in philanthropy while taking on acting projects, primarily volunteering and campaigning with Feeding America and the Los Angeles Food Bank.

Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey)

Long gone are the days when Taylor Momsen played Dan Humphrey's sweet (and a bit messed up) little sis, Jenny. The actress left the Gossip Girl cast in 2010 in order to pursue her dreams of a music career, and all these years later, she's still doing just that as the frontwoman of the uber-successful rock group, The Pretty Reckless. With four records under their belt, the four-member band has supported bands like Evanescence, Soundgarden, and Guns N' Roses, and has toured in numerous cities and music festivals.

Momsen has typically kept her dating life on the down-low. She is currently single and appears to be putting all of her energy into her band.

Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey)

Everyone’s favorite Gossip Girl — er, guy — Penn Badgley, followed in his on-screen sister's footsteps after the show ended, pursuing his musical interests with rock band MOTHXR. The band's most current project, Centerfold, was released back in 2016.

Badgley has since acted in several movies and TV shows including Easy A, The Paper Store, and Here Today, but his most notable work has been on the ongoing book-based Netflix series, You. He plays Joe Goldberg, a charming bookkeeper with eerily odd characteristics, especially when it comes to love.

Badgley currently has a podcast titled Podcrushed, which explores the awkwardness of adolescence and revisits guests' best (and worst) middle school memories. He cohosts with Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari. One episode even features ex-Gossip Girl co-star, Leighton Meester!

Badgley is married to singer and doula Domino Kirke as of 2017. Kirke already had a child from a previous relationship. Badgley and Kirke had their first son together in 2020.

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass)

Ed Westwick tapped into his angsty side post-Gossip Girl, starring as Tybalt in a 2013 adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Since then, he has fought crime as Kent Grainger on Wicked City, played a crime lord on Snatch, and sold double-glazed windows on White Gold. Is there any role he can't play? Most recently, Westwick stars in the movie DarkGame.

With a background in music, Westwick also currently sings in the bandFor You. Their most recent release is the song "Tailspin," and they're set to release a new single "Here Comes Trouble" in March 2024.

Westwick had been dating model and actress Amy Jacksonsince 2021, with the pair getting happily engaged during a ski trip in January 2024.

Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald)

Following his stint as a wealthy Upper East Sider on Gossip Girl, Texas native Chace Crawford tried his hand at playing a greedy oil worker on ABC's short-lived TV series, Blood & Oil. He's had several film roles since – you can catch him in movies like Undrafted, Eloise, Nighthawks, even voice-actingin Belle. Most recently, Crawford stars as The Deep on The Boys.

Crawford has previously dated Carrie Underwood, Rachelle Goulding, and Rebecca Rittenhouse, though he is currently single as a Pringle.

Jessica Szohr (Vanessa Abrams)

Jessica Szohr, who played Dan Humphrey's BFF slash on-again, off-again girlfriend (needless to say, we were confused too), has been a lot busier than her character was after season four, when she was all but written off the show.

In the years since Gossip Girl, the actress scored several roles on TV shows such as Complications, Kingdom, Twin Peaks and The Orville. She even starred in Taylor Swift's music video for "22" back in 2013!

Jessica also welcomed a daughter with her longtime boyfriend in early 2021.

Jessica currently hosts a podcast called "XOXO" that dives deep into the Gossip Girl cast, crew, and behind-the-scenes moments. Some notable episodes have featured Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota), Aaron Tveit (Tripp van der Bilt), Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen), and Michelle Trachtenburg (Georgina Sparks).

Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina Sparks)

Since her stint as the "bad girl" Georgina Sparks, Michelle Trachtenberg has landed roles on shows like Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, Sleepy Hollow, and Sister Cities among other numerous series and movies. She even reprised her role as Georgina for the 2021 remake of Gossip Girl on HBO Max!

She's managed to keep her personal life largely out of the tabloids, including her dating life. The last update on her relationship status was in 2023, and that she was dating her talent agent, Jay Cohen. She reportedly previously dated Shawn Ashmore, Joshua Radin, and Jason Segel.

Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen)

Besides being a New York Fashion Week icon (we'd expect nothing less of Lily van der Woodsen's alter ego!), Kelly Rutherford has popped up in several TV shows over the years, including Quantico, Jane the Virgin, and Dynasty.

She also frequently travels to France and Monaco, where, after years of custody battles with her second ex-husband, Daniel Giersch, she has extensive visitation rights to see her two children, who reside there with their father.

"Yes, it was a challenging time. It was a heartbreaking time," she told People. "But I focus on the good most of the time, I really do," she says. "I'm very thankful of where we are. I have a great relationship with my kids."

When she's not with her kids or working on a project, Kelly is dropping iconic 'fit pics on her Instagram account.

Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey)

Matthew Settle, who played rockstar dad Rufus Humphrey, continued acting after the Gossip Girl cast dissolved. He hasn't been on any other TV shows other than one episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders in 2016. He mostly stuck to movies, acting in titles like Ouija, Marshall the Miracle Dog, and Valentine: The Dark Avenger.

Settle is also a dad of two children, having welcomed his first with actress and model Naama Nativ in 2009. He had divorced her in 2011 and went on to have a second baby with girlfriend Maria Alfonsin in 2015.

Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota Kishlovsky)

Though Blair's loyal maid and, ultimately, best friend, wasn't technically a main character, there's no denying that it would have been a different show without her unwavering presence! Zuzanna Szadowski has dabbled in film and television since then, appearing in shows such as Girls,The Good Wife, and Modern Love.

In 2010, she partnered with Sam Weisman to open The Sam Weisman Studio, an acting school (now closed).

Oh, and did we mention she just so happens to be one of Leighton Meester's real-life BFFs?

Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf meets Zooey Deschanel's Jovie at a department store when he treks to New York City to find his long-lost father. Though she appears jaded at first, she eventually gives in to the holiday spirit, and even helps save Christmas by singing in public to lift Santa’s sleigh.

Deschanel was great in the role, but according to Variety, she wasn’t actually the first choice. “I went in as a backup. The person they cast couldn’t do it,” Zooey explains. “A lot of the parts I got early in my career, I was filling in for someone else who had dropped out last minute.”

This is definitely crazy because Zooey Deschanel *is* Jovie in our eyes and we literally cannot imagine anyone else playing the role.

Prior to Elf, Deschanel appeared in 2000’s Almost Famous and 2003’s All the Real Girls, and she had been auditioning for another movie when she was asked to come in for Jovie. That other movie, in fact, is the reason for her blonde hair. “What is funny is I had dyed my hair for a screen test for a movie that never happened,” she continues. “I had a meeting for Elf while I was blonde, and I asked them if I could dye my hair back brown. They said, ‘No, we want you to look the way you did in your audition.'”

We have to wonder if she would have gotten the role if she had shown up with brown hair, but we’re glad things worked out the way they did!

What is Materialists about?

While we haven't gotten an official synopsis on Celine Song's follow up to Past Lives, it looks like Materialists follows a professional NYC matchmaker (likely played by Dakota Johnson), via Deadline. When the matchmaker gets involved with a wealthy man, she realizes she can't shake her feelings for an actor-waiter from her past. Juicy!! It's giving a little bit of It Ends With Us, it's giving a little bit of Playing With Matches. I'm totally here for it!

According to Merriam Webster, a materialist is someone who has a "preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things." This feels like an indication we'll see these characters have to figure out what's important to them, and whether they prioritize material things or relationships. (But don't we all have to do that?).

Is the Materialists movie filming?

Yes, Materialists is filming in New York City as of April 2024! The first leaked videos from set (thanks to @mickmicknyc) appear to revolve around a wedding (which would make sense if Dakota's character is a matchmaker!). Based on the costumes, my guess is Chris Evans plays the actor-waiter, while Pedro Pascal plays the new man in our leading lady's life. The Vampire Diaries, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Friday Night Lights — will the love triangles never cease?!

Who's in the Materialists cast?

Materialists stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. We're still waiting to hear about supporting cast! I'd also love to know whether Celine Song will pull a Greta Gerwig (who frequently recasts her beloved actors) and include Past Lives' Greta Lee in the cast.

When is Materialists coming out?

Materialists just started filming in New York City during the spring of 2024, so my guess is we'll see the movie in the summer or fall of 2025, but it all depends on when filming wraps!

Did A24 produce Past Lives?

Yes, A24 helped produce Celine Song's directorial debut Past Lives (which she also wrote). Past Lives follows childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung, reconnect two decades after Nora's family leaves South Korea. The week they spend together in New York will bring up questions they've both been holding onto — about love, life, and destiny.

The film was met with rave reviews from both critics and the Brit + Co team, and remains one of the most beautiful contemporary films in recent years.

What else has Pedro Pascal been in?

While The Last of Us catapulted Pedro Pascal even MORE into mainstream media, he's starred in a variety of shows and movies over the last 20 years! He was in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and played the recurring role of Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. Pedro Pascal joined the Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian in 2019, and was also in my personal favorite movie of 2022, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

In addition to Materialists, we'll see him in the MCU's Fantastic Four and Gladiator 2. Talk about a packed schedule! I'd like to get his agent to schedule my entire life because that's some insanely impressive time management skills.

What has Chris Evans been in?

You probably recognize Chris Evans the most as Steve Rogers/Captain America in Marvel Studios' superhero flicks, but he's also done a number of other movies, too (including the 2005 Fantastic Four, which is funny considering Pedro Pascal is in the new installment!). Chris Evans has some great range, and is in everything from the wacky Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to the action-packed Snowpiercer to the mysterious Knives Out with Ana de Armas.

If you're a fan of romantic dramas and haven't seen Before We Go (which is also Chris' directorial debut), I totally recommend it. I've seen Chris in so many action movies that I loved how much space there is for the characters to get to know each other!

Where can I watch Dakota Johnson?

You can see Dakota Johnson in 2024's Madame Web, but you can also catch her in The Social Network, the Fifty Shades of Gray series, and two beloved YouTube videos: Dakota Johnson’s Favorite Comedian Isn’t Ellen and Inside Dakota Johnson's Serene Hollywood Home.

I also wholeheartedly recommend The Peanut Butter Falcon, which was written and directed by Outer Banks native Tyler Nilson alongside Michael Schwartz. The film follows a young man with Down syndrome who escapes an assisted living facility and becomes fast friends with a fisherman on the run as a social worker (played by Dakota) tries to track them.