'Gossip Girl' Leighton Meester Finds 'Country' Girl Inspiration

October 26, 2010 Celebrity Highlights

"Gossip Girl" Leighton Meester looked to contemporary country artists to prepare her for her "Country Song" role.

"I went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw Carrie Underwood. Went to few honky tonks, too," Meester explained about playing a young country music singer who admires -- and then rivals -- an established country star, played by Gywneth Paltrow.

Meester continued, "I tried to make it my own, but I was definitely inspired by Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. I went into the studio and sang my heart out."

The actress was amazed by Paltrow's performance. "She really showed her chops, playing the guitar and performing the hell out of it," said Meester. "My character is supposed to admire and look up to her, and I do, too. You have to rise to the occasion when you play opposite her."

Check out the trailer for "Country Song," strumming in theaters this December.

Filed Under: Celebrity Highlights, Movies, Popeater, Leighton Meester, Gwyneth Paltrow, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift

Prev Post Cindy Crawford on Double-Dating with George and Elisabetta

Next Post 'Extra' Raw! Katherine Schwarzenegger at the Women's Conference

Add Your Comment

Your comments*

Please check your inbox ... your comment will not appear until you have confirmed your identity via email.
Receive Extra Newsletter

Cancel Reply

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put 1 URL in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.