Q: You were born and raised in New York, like all the girls on Gossip Girl. Tell us about your experience growing up in New York.

A: There were lots of cliques in my high school. I had my own clique — I’m the type of person who’s okay with a close group of friends. I don’t need 20 million friends; I’m good with five or six close friends. A lot of Asians, when they grow up in a predominantly white neighborhood, feel the pressure of wanting to look Caucasian. I think I had that a little bit early on in high school or late middle school. But now that I’m older, I embrace my culture. I definitely felt at times that all the kids that were popular also happened to be white. Every kid just wants to fit in.

Q: After high school, you decided to pursue a career as an actress. What was the audition process for the role of Nelly Yuki?

A: Actually, her name was originally Sally Yuki. The audition was for all Asian girls, and even some mixed Asian and Caucasian girls. Since there are hardly any Asian roles out there, all the Asians try out for whatever roles they can get. I was really nervous because my mom was like, “If you don’t get this, you’re going to have to start thinking about a real job.” I wanted to prove to my mom that I could last a little bit longer in the industry. I got a callback, and on the second day, I met with the producer, the director, and the casting director. I didn’t show I was nervous at all – I went in and did my thing. It took a week and a half to find out that I got it, and during that week and a half, I could not sleep or breathe. I wasn’t even too aware of the show. I just went in thinking, a job is a job. Sally’s description was that she was going to be Blair Waldorf’s academic rival. That’s all the information I knew.

Q: How did you find out that the character had changed from a popular girl to a nerd?

A: I had already gotten the role, before knowing it was going to be a nerd. I went in to get my clothes fitted, and the costume designer said, “These glasses would be SO cute with this outfit.” And I said, “Glasses? What do you mean glasses?” Apparently, the producers decided to change it up and made her a nerdy Asian. I’ve never played a nerd before, so I thought it’d be fun to stretch my acting range. Of course there are stereotypes, like the whole glasses thing, but I think it just has to be one step at a time, especially in America. Asians having roles and chances in the industry is hard to come by already. I’m not going to complain about the character. I was able to get the job, so I’m really grateful.

Q: Do you think Nelly Yuki is a good role model?

A: In the beginning, I thought she was a great role model, because she was really into her books and she minded her own business. But then throughout the show, they wanted to create more drama and developed my character a bit more, making her surprisingly manipulative and conniving. As an actor, I thought that was really fun to play. It just adds more levels and range to the character. But I have two younger sisters, and of course I wouldn’t want either of them to be conniving or manipulative. But as an actor, I was glad that she was getting some color.

Q: What’s the fashion like on Gossip Girl?

A: We showcase a wide variety of up-and-coming fashion designers and well-known designers. In the beginning, Eric Daman wanted Nelly Yuki to look subtle with neutral brown colors, and then as she started conforming to the group, he added colors like orange and pink. It’s very intelligent of him. It’s a subtle way of showing that she’s becoming a part of Blair’s group.

Q: How often do you hang out with the cast and crew off-set?

A: Outside the set, we go to parties together. Leighton is really sweet and gracious – she always tells the girls to get ready at her place. I’ve gone to her place several times just to chill before the whole party thing. The cast members are all great. We all get along quite well. You work there so much, it becomes a second home. It’s always really great to get along with your castmates; it just makes everything so much easier and enjoyable.

Q: What about the Leighton and Blake rumors?

A: So false. They get along very well. They always joke around… I don’t see where those rumors come from.

Q: What do you do in your free time when you’re not filming?

A: I’m taking classes part-time right now at Hunter College. I got in during the regular high school process, and in the beginning, I was juggling full-time classes with auditions and filming. It was hectic because teachers weren’t happy I was absent, but I wanted to further my career. I was filming a lot for season two, and I had to skip class a lot. And I learned not to overload myself with so many classes. I don’t have to technically be in school, but I would love a degree or two. Also, my parents would be happy. [laughs] Now, I take classes on the weekend. I’m double majoring in creative writing and media.

Q: What was your parents’ role in making sure you get a degree?

A: The whole deal was that if I wanted to do acting, I had to be in school. I had to have something under my belt in case nothing came out of the acting thing.

Q: Do you see yourself staying on the acting path?

A: My dream is to be a working actress. I just want to do the best that I can do, and I’d be really happy with that. Thrilled.

Q: What’s next for you, now that Gossip Girl is between seasons?

A: I’ve been busy going to events. I was asked to be a guest judge for an Asian organization called Kollaboration. It has a great mission: bringing more Asian American entertainers into the American industry. I would love to support them. I really hope that if I do become successful that I can make a difference–-not only by participating in charities and events, but by helping open more doors for Asians.

Interview has been edited for clarity.

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If there is one thing Nan Zhang – that’s Kati Farkas to “Gossip Girl” fans – would like the public to know, it would be this: She was never in a fight with Leighton Meester, and she did not leave the show because of a supposed rift with the Queen Bee.

“I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” says Zhang of the tabloid gossip. “I mean, Leighton is such a sweetheart and just so incredibly nice.” However, gossip happens in real life just as much as on “Gossip Girl”. When her character, Kati, left the Upper East Side (and the show) under the explanation that her family moved to Israel, rumors abounded that Zhang had left to attend Brown University—a school that she has no connection with whatsoever.

“I think for one episode I was talking to a Brown representative. It’s really funny,” says the Chinese American actress. “Once, the Brown school newspaper called me and asked me for an interview, and I was like, ‘You know, I go to Hopkins.’”

At Johns Hopkins University, Zhang studies neuroscience in hopes of graduating next year, then entering a medical school and becoming an optometrist. She started pursuing neuroscience research with professors when she was only 16 years old, realizing that she could save lives and help people with her abilities. Modeling and acting, both passionate pursuits of hers, still lie second to her love of medical research.

While Zhang seems to have the qualities many girls dream of, from her glamorous good looks to her sparkling intellect, she, too, has struggled with coming to terms with her cultural identity—and with her parents. Born in China to strict parents, Zhang and her family moved to New Orleans when she was still a child. Her parents, both doctors, never encouraged her to pursue a life in the entertainment industry.

“I’ll just be honest: my parents are severely traditional. I actually didn’t tell them that I was modeling at first, but when they found out, they weren’t very happy about it. But I realized that I was trying to impose an American way of life on them, and that as parents they just wanted the best for me,” she recalls. “When they saw the ‘Gossip Girl’ trailers, they realized that it was real and now they understand. They were like, ‘If you can do this, you can get into Harvard med school.’”

As an only child, she was often told by her parents to go back to college. Zhang had temporarily left school in order to pursue a modeling career, because driving back and forth from modeling assignments to school had begun to take a toll on her health and spirit. However, during the writers’ strike of 2007-2008, she realized that she had to make a definitive decision about her future—especially because the future of Gossip Girl was shaky. Ultimately, she chose to return to school in order to attain a degree.

“Honestly, you can’t go back to school once you’re 30; don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can,” she says.

Her agency, William Morris, and the “Gossip Girl” production office were very supportive of her decision to become a full-time student again. There were also no catfights or dramatic last words – contrary to what the gossip blogs and tabloids claimed. In fact, Leighton Meester, Nicole Fiscella (who plays Isabel Coates), and Zhang frequently hung out on set. Consequently, Zhang left the show feeling very good about her choice despite between being entwined in the dilemma that many young Asian Americans face—choosing whether to follow a traditional route supported by their parents or to take a completely different path.

“When you’re in that business, with my upbringing, you have certain values that are priority,” she said.

Additionally, as “Gossip Girl” became increasingly popular and as the season progressed, that Zhang became concerned that she might only be playing the token Asian girl. “It was a fun character; I enjoyed every part of it. But I wish they would have portrayed the characters with more dimension.” In being one of the few minorities on the show, Zhang had a lot of pressure to be an example to Asian American teens who watch the show—which was tough to achieve, considering she barely had any lines to be a fully-developed character.

While she is no longer in the limelight—at least for the time being, as she is still signed with William Morris Agency—Zhang has become a greater inspiration to girls with diverse interests. For those who know the real reason why she left, it’s clear that one can be a Gossip Girl and change the world too.

Photos courtesy of Nan Zhang.

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