Margaret Colin is known for playing Eleanor Waldorf in CW’s drama series ‘Gossip Girl’
Credit: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
NEED TO KNOW
- On April 21, 2026, Margaret Colin attended The Balusters opening night on Broadway
- During the event, the 67-year-old actress looked back fondly on her time on Gossip Girl, especially her close working relationship with Leighton Meester
- Colin also recalled warm memories of her connections with the rest of the cast, both on and off screen
Margaret Colin is looking back on her time on Gossip Girl with fondness, especially when it comes to the relationships she built on set. Over six seasons of the hit series, the actress became a familiar face to audiences as the sharp and status-conscious Eleanor Waldorf.
That role placed her at the center of one of the show’s most iconic mother-daughter dynamics opposite Leighton Meester. Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively on April 21 at the opening night of Broadway’s The Balusters at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Colin reflected on that experience with warmth and appreciation.
“I loved working with Leighton,” she recalls. “I had a great time with her.”
Credit: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
During its run, Gossip Girl explored the glamorous and often cutthroat world of Manhattan’s elite, with Colin’s Eleanor serving as a high-powered fashion designer and mother to Meester’s Blair Waldorf.
Sharing so much screen time with Meester gave the two actresses space to build a relationship that felt both dramatic and real, shifting from icy tension to surprising warmth.
“I lucked out,” Colin says about Meester. “She's a delightful young woman and a great mom and wife.”
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Credit: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
Off-screen, those bonds extended beyond just one co-star. Colin shares that she also formed a positive relationship with Blake Lively, who played Serena van der Woodsen in the show.
“Blake was always very, very sweet to me, so we had a good time,” she reveals.
Colin also recalls working with Wallace Shawn, who played Eleanor’s second husband, Cyrus Rose. Their height difference became a humorous challenge during filming.
“People find it very funny for me to kiss Wally who's about up to here,” she says, referencing his height. “So I kept teaching him how I'd get lower and he could get higher so we could make the kisses work.”
Credit: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
Beyond Gossip Girl, Colin has built a long and versatile career across television, film, and the stage, with notable roles in projects like Independence Day and As the World Turns.
Whether she’s appearing in big-screen blockbusters or sharp television comedies and dramas, Colin has developed a reputation for bringing intelligence and warmth to every role.
Now, the 67-year-old is taking on Broadway in The Balusters, a satirical comedy written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Kenny Leon. In the production, she steps into the role of Ruth Ackerman, adding another dynamic character to her already extensive résumé.
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