'The Boys' Chace Crawford shares feeling in 'jail' after 'Gossip Girl'

Chace Crawford recently opened up about the “creative cage” he found himself in after his breakout role as Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl.

The 39-year-old actor described it as “the jail of the CW pretty boy,” explaining during a June 14 episode of The Good Guys podcast that while the hit show launched him to fame, it also pinned him.

“I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after Gossip Girl… And I’m in this box now,” Crawford said.

Despite early post-Gossip Girl roles—including parts in the ABC series Blood & Oil and teen vampire film Cry of Fear—Crawford felt typecast and found agents and casting calls banker on his “polished, prep school poster boy” image. 

He admitted that the expectations weighed heavily on him: “I was probably harder on myself than I needed to be”.

The breakthrough came with Amazon Prime’s superhero satire The Boys in 2019, where Crawford plays the morally conflicted The Deep.

He vividly recalled his reaction to the audition notice, “that sounds wild … this pilot … is so f‑‑‑ing great. This is so original and weird”. In describing his character, Crawford said, “In the specific role of The Deep… I know that guy… I instantly felt confident and excited”.

He noted the casting process was fierce, with over 50 actors auditioning, but exec producer Eric Kripke’s appreciation of his layered performance sealed the deal.

Crawford credits The Boys with freeing him from his "early-career jail" and allowing him to explore a grittier, more emotionally complex character—and, in turn, proving his range.

Crawford’s journey from teen heartthrob to a fan-favorite in a critically acclaimed, genre-bending series is a powerful reminder of resilience in Hollywood. He’s now helping to film the fifth and final season of The Boys, leaving that Gossip Girl label firmly behind.