Whitney Peak Interview

“The more I learn about her, the younger I see her,” Whitney Peak tells me. She’s reflecting on Zoya Lott, her character in the wildly successful HBO Max reboot of ‘00s juggernaut teen-drama Gossip Girl. As the show hits screens once again for its second season, 19-year-old Peak’s return to fictional Manhattan private school, Constance Billard School for Girls, has proven as educational as when she and Zoya first set foot in its corridors last year. “Reading the scripts last year and this year felt vastly different,” she confirms. 

“I related to her more in the first season, but now I feel she’s my little sister. I want to just protect her.” Avuncular instincts aside, Peak has undergone her own personal development while observing the external pressures Zoya continues to weather as another term gets underway. “I’ve learned from watching her constantly spread herself thin,” she imparts. “And then I’ll catch myself in situations that parallel hers, applying the things I would tell Zoya or my younger self, thinking, ‘Bruh, it’s been right in front of me this whole time.’”

However, any further refinement of Peak’s acting prowess would be purely supplemental, as she continues to tick off monumental parts like a teacher marking a class attendance sheet. Not least, her recent turn as Becca in Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2, which saw her a linchpin in what is, at the time of writing, the most streamed original Disney+ film ever, appearing alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Middler, and Kathy Najimy. Topping her achievements off with a brand ambassador role for Chanel, the fact Peak’s still not even in her 20s when we chat feels incomputable. However, with a CV like her’s hitherto, it’s her future that looks set to be of even greater, incalculable proportions. 

Whilst she’s still officially a teenager, I sit down with the icon in waiting to discuss all things Gossip Girl season two, her own school days, why she chose to align herself with Chanel, and the nostalgic TV and film that gets her through…

ANDREW WRIGHT: Hey Whitney! How’s your day been so far? What was the first thing you did when you got out of bed this morning?

WHITNEY PEAK: Hi! I had a lovely day, thank you for asking. The first thing I did was roll up my blinds and immediately rush to the shower and make a coffee before walking to an appointment on the West Side. I then caught up with a friend, worked on an audition and just now, got locked out of my apartment on the way to dinner with my friends. Luckily we were able to have someone come and let us in but we scrapped going for dinner after that. We were staying all the way in! 

AW: Congratulations on season two of Gossip Girl! How has the experience of making the show this time compared with season one?

WP: Thank you! I actually just saw the final episode today. I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s received. This season explored a lot of the character arcs that didn’t get as much light last season. We learn more about Luna and Monet as well as our favourite throuple. We learn more about the family drama, helping us understand why our characters are the way they are. I’m very excited for some more characters to be introduced and to see more familiar faces from the last season. This season was definitely more easygoing, although we were definitely hit with some curveballs. Whether it was location or weather, we better understand our environment and how each of us works so it’s just been more familiar and showing up and doing the work, it’s always fun to work with people you genuinely adore and respect. While Zoya kind of got to chill a little this season, I’d say some of the episodes for this time are personal favourites of mine. The storylines are more complex and we have a very, very crazy finale, I don’t think anyone expects what’s coming.

AW: Last year, you and your cast mates had the tall order of reinventing a beloved show. However, this year, you have the pressure of living up to the success of your own first season. How do those two pressures compare? 

WP: While I can’t speak for everyone, I really tried to avoid thinking about catching up or keeping up with any expectations. I just like my job and I’m very lucky I get to do it, so once we’re finished making the show, it’s completely up for interpretation. The response to the first season was definitely a relief. There’s always a sense of protection and anxiety when you work so hard with great people on something you care about when you have to just let it go out and speak for itself. I think being too in my head about living up to any bar would hinder my experience on the set. That being said, I’ll go as far as to say that I hope when people are watching the show they leave any projections out of sight, step outside of themselves and sit with us for a moment… Let us distract you, intrigue you and maybe even get a laugh in.

AW: We’re of course used to seeing you in school on-screen, however, if we were to bump into you in the corridor, back in your own school days, who would we find? 

WP: Oh, man. Well for starters, I was very lost when I was in school. Truly, I didn’t know where I fit in. I attempted to conform, to be and look like everyone else. Straightening my hair, wearing makeup and spending money on clothes I didn’t feel good in just because it’s what everyone else was doing. I would get comments about my Blackness, [it was either] too much or not enough and so I really didn’t have a sense of identity. I was just floating. I’d join extracurricular activities because all my peers did. I sometimes would feel the same way at home, being raised in a completely different world than my family and never really being able to voice how I felt or even make sense of it myself. But I think coming to New York and being on my own forced me to think for myself and doing only what fuelled me really helped me find my footing. I was a completely different person for sure, in terms of taste, I mean. I think that comes with age and being exposed to different sceneries and tastes. It’s about allowing yourself to go through phases without self-judgement.

AW: What’s one thing that will surprise fans about Zoya’s journey this time around?

WP: This season for Zoya is really about the ups and downs of her relationship with family, friends and romance. We see a few people come in and out of her life, adding to her nature in both negative and positive ways. We see Zoya experience parts of the upper class on a different level than last season and a push and pull between who she used to be and who she wants to be. She’s learning to put her foot down and stand up for herself even at the expense of those she loves. She’s putting herself first.

AW: We’ve seen her have a rocky time in parts of season one, however, what would your own personal hopes be for Zoya as an adult?

WP: I really believe she’s on the right track. I have a hard time judging her because I hold her so dearly in my heart. I hope she learns that it's okay not to be liked by everyone and to seek validation only from herself. I wish for her to continue to hold her family close but without contradicting her moral values. Finally, as hard as it is, I want her to utilise her awareness. She knows what she needs to do to fuel her mentally, creatively and emotionally but she often gives so much of herself that she forgets herself and remains depleted. It’s a beautiful thing to care about the people you love so deeply but in order to be there for your family and friends in that way, you have to show up for yourself just as much. But also dude, just be a kid – slow down! 

AW: What is the biggest thing you learned about yourself from making season two? 

WP: I had a few moments this season where I had a hard time keeping my personal emotions from bleeding into work. I’d be in the middle of a scene and have a random breakdown; a delayed reaction to something I’d been avoiding. It would all bubble up and catch up with me at the worst time. Then of course after being vulnerable at work in front of everyone, would come the terrible shame hangover and the voice in the back of my head screaming at me to grow up and get it together. Tale as old as time, but to answer your question, I have learned to allow myself to sit and feel through whatever it is I’m going through. It’s okay to say no sometimes, you know?

AW: You’re a Chanel ambassador! What was it about Chanel in particular that made you want to take up that role?

WP: I think they were the brand that showed interest first and felt the most familial when it came to a brand partnership at the time. I never expected it to go this far but I’m beyond grateful for the dream that it is to work with Chanel. It doesn’t feel like work, everyone I’ve met has been nothing but kind, generous and genuine. I pay a lot of attention to how I feel around certain people and that dictates a lot of the decisions I make when it comes to work and personal relationships. So I was very flattered they had even reached out. I’d say how I felt leaving every meeting and interaction with any team member from the brand made me want to work with them. But honestly, thinking about it now, when Chanel wanted to work with me the immediate answer was, ‘Duh, are you crazy? That’s insane, yes!’

AW: In recent months you’ve also appeared as Becca in Hocus Pocus 2 which, at the time of writing, is the most-watched original Disney+ movie in the history of the streaming service! What was your favourite moment from working alongside the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Middler?

WP: I had a blast working on it and bonding with the cast and watching Bette Midler and SJP and Kathy Najimy at work. I was very intimidated by them just out of respect and really was in pure admiration when they were acting across me. I try not to read any reviews so all I’ve heard is word of mouth and it’s funny because most of the comments start with “I was surprised...” or “It was actually good” which was hilarious.

AW: If you could star alongside any actor/director next, who would it be and why? 

WP: Hmm, I think I would actually cry working alongside Viola Davis. I would become paralysed and be unable to do any work whatsoever. Gosh, I hope she doesn’t read this so that if one day I meet her I can pretend with all my might to play it cool. Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t have the guts to approach her. Enough gushing, I’m sorry I know she’s human like you and I but something about her in every performance just strikes me and always causes such an emotional reaction. I get chills. I’m hugely inspired by her. 

AW: You’ve appeared in two projects now with such vast legacies – Hocus Pocus 2 and Gossip Girl – however, what’s your favourite nostalgic watch to simply get lost in from the sofa?

WP: I love Living Single and Girlfriends. I recently watched Juno for the first time and loved it. I also just started The Mindy Project and I love to watch reality TV. I love the riots that those prize vacation dating shows bring up in a group. I’m also a sucker for a rom-com, like Love Jones – c’mon, it’s perfect.