Jessica Szohr

Along with Stacy Keibler, she played a neighbour to the main character Brian O'Hara (Barry Watson). She also appeared in the music videos for Best Days by Matt White and Over You by Daughtry, in which she played Sarah. In the same year, Szohr earned her breakthrough role on the hit CW Teen Drama television series Gossip Girl. Based on the novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl’s premise follows the lives of privileged young adults on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City. She plays Vanessa Abrams, Dan Humphrey’s (Penn Badgley) childhood friend and occasional love interest. Szohr described her character to Ocean Drive magazine, "Vanessa doesn't change for other people. She says what she thinks. she’s just a badass girl from Brooklyn". The portrayal of Vanessa in the TV series has drawn criticism from Ziegesar, who claimed Vanessa is "one character they ruined". Originally cast as a recurring role, she became an additional series regular after the season one episode "The Blair Bitch Project". She left the cast of the show at the end of the fourth season. Read Less