After an iconic show has its run, it's hard to remember the leads were once just potentials. The glamorous stars you watched week after week were once watching their phones, hoping for a call (or at least a call back). Yes, if you go back far enough, there was a time before Blake Lively was Serena van der Woodsen ('07, to be exact). Her Gossip Girl audition tape reveals that she always had the Upper East Side attitude down.
Back in 2007, Lively's IMDb page would have been a lot sparser, with just a handful of film credits including, of course, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But in this video recorded then, she reads a classic scene from the pilot between Serena and bestie Blair like a pro. Even with the scene reader, Lively makes it feel like she's having the conversation in a stylish NYC bar. You can also enjoy Ed Westwick's audition tape. As if there's ever been any doubt that he's 100% Chuck Bass.
Opener Image: Gregory Pace/BEIMAGES.