How Did Blake Lively Get Her 'Gossip Girl' Role?

It's hard to believe that it's already been three years since Gossip Girl went off the air. The CW drama — based on Cecily van Ziegesar's book series of the same name — was a vital part of our primetime TV rituals for five years, and to be honest, six seasons just weren't enough. I'm nostalgic to a fault, so I have a hard time saying goodbye to shows I love and usually I just refuse to do it altogether (thank god for DVD box sets, that's all I'm saying). Thankfully, just because Gossip Girl is gone from our TV screens doesn't mean it's been forgotten, and there are new tidbits that pop up here and there that we fans can sink our teeth into. For instance, just this week, a video of Blake Lively's audition for the role of Serena van der Woodsen hit the internet, and it's so, so good.

The scene Lively played out was one in which Serena and her best friend/frenemy Blair Waldorf, eventually played by Leighton Meester, chat about their friendship when Serena gets home from boarding school. It's an awkward talk, to be sure, but what's also clear is Lively's effortless ability to slip into the character she's envisioned Serena to be, and it's really impressive to watch.

Despite this clip being only two minutes long, it's easy to see why Lively was ultimately cast for the role of Serena. In fact, I can't imagine anyone else besides her playing the role, and that's not just because we watched her do it for six seasons. It's just too good, and seeing it is making me more desperate than ever for a reunion, or at least a one-off special to answer all the questions we still had after the finale (and believe me, there were tons).

I don't know about you, but I'm about to go pop in Gossip Girl Season 1 and rewatch the whole series from the beginning again. I miss Serena! I miss Blair! Ugh, who am I kidding — I really miss Chuck and Nate. I can't help myself!