After six dramatic, highly-fashionable seasons, "Gossip Girl" will finally come to an end: The CW series' finale is set to air on Mon., December 17 at 8 p.m. EST.
As the romantic fates of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) are sealed, the identity of the mysterious Gossip Girl will finally be revealed in the "Gossip Girl'" two-hour finale.
In honor of the series that taught us invaluable lessons about scheming, fashion, excess and slander, HuffPost TV spoke with Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen), Margaret Colin (Eleanor Waldorf) and Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota) to discuss their experience on the CW series. Below, find out how Rutherford feels about her TV daughter getting married, what Szadkowski thinks about the theories that Dorota is Gossip Girl and all three ladies' reactions to who the infamous blogger really is.
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Growing Up On "Gossip Girl"
Back in 2007, Lively, Meester, Badgley, Westwick, Chace Crawford and the rest of the young cast weren't exactly the most well-known actors. But over the course of the show's six seasons, the remarkably good-looking "Gossip Girls" became increasingly familiar. And as their careers grew, so did they.
"From the very beginning, I was optimistic that she show was going to catch on," Szadkowksi, who plays the Waldorf's housekeeper Dorota, said. "It was fun to be on the receiving end of it and see all of their careers blow up ... to be on the side and watch them get these tremendous opportunities ... There have just been so many adventures in the cast and crew's lives."
As for Meester and Lively's on-screen mothers, Colin and Rutherford respectively, they were both thrilled to watch their TV daughters blossom.
"I think Leighton handles herself with incredible grace. She has since the moment I met her," Colin said. "You couldn't stop her! You turn the radio on and her song is on. You go to a movie theater and there she is. Most of her films stay at the top of the pile. So I think she's handling her career in a really smart way ... It's always a pleasure to be around her, and I've learned a lot from her."
Rutherford said Lively is "just a beautiful human being and such a wonderful actress." The 25-year-old actress recently married actor Ryan Reynolds. "I'm really happy for her," Rutherford said. "And I'm so happy she's found someone she loves. She's doing so well."
Hello, Upper East Siders
When "Gossip Girl" first hit the airwaves, viewers questioned how much truth there was to the excess and drama depicted on the small screen.
While Colin called the glamorous parties and never-ending scandals a "satire," Rutherford and Szadkowski were in agreement that the series rang true to the culture of wealthy Manhattanites.
"The dynamics of the Upper East Side are relatively well-represented," Szadkowksi said. "There are definitely real Dorotas all over New York City, especially on the Upper East Side. Sometimes when we would film on location up on Park Avenue and Madison I would see real-life Dorotas out doing errands. I'm definitely more aware of that role in the family now."
Rutherford said "Gossip Girl" is "as accurate as it can be ... It may not be every single person's version of it, but from the people I know that grew up on the Upper East Side or with some sort of wealth, they can definitely relate to it. So we must have done OK."
Colin may have found the CW series' depiction of the Upper East Side over the top, but she did note that Blair's signature headpieces seem to have made their mark on Manhattan. "I think there are a lot more headbands around than their used to be," she said.
So ... Who's Gossip Girl?
As to be expected, Szadkowski, Colin and Rutherford were tight-lipped on the details of the mysterious mischief-maker that is Gossip Girl, but they all agreed that her identity came as a surprise.
"I felt like we went through every guess under the sun, so it's kind of an exciting shocker," Szadkowski, who many have predicted is Gossip Girl, said. "The CW had a teaser reel of the whole cast being interviewed, and I was tickled that lot of people in the cast thought Gossip Girl could be Dorota ... The fact that people are guessing that she has some kind of power makes me laugh."
"I was hoping it was me!" Rutherford said. "We weren't told until we read the script for the last episode. The ending was great. I'm sure some people will love it, and some people will wish it was this way or that way. But I think they really did a good job in keeping it interesting and ending it on a good note."
"I used all those expressions they use on 'Gossip Girl,' like 'WTF' [when I found out]," Colin said with a laugh. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I hope people watch it. I don't even know how it's revealed, because the script was all exed out, but I know who it is and I've got my DVR set."
Sticky Fingers
From diamonds to top of the line designers, the clothing and accessories of "Gossip Girl" have been an integral part of the series. Unfortunately, swiping a pair of Christian Louboutins here and a Nanette Lepore dress there was out of the question.
"Oh, they're such cheap bastards," Colin joked. "I took nothing! I tried, but I took nothing."
Szadkowski may not have been able to nab her signature maid outfit, but she was able to bring a little something of Dorota's home with her.
"Our outfits went into some sort of archive, but I did have one memento," she said. "I kept the tray that Dorota was always bringing breakfast, crumpets and tea to the Waldorf family on. It's really nice because it's a prop, but to me, it represents Dorota."
Rutherford left Lily van der Woodsen's fabulous garments and jewels of behind by choice.
"I did that on 'Melrose Place' -- I took some of the clothes -- but I always felt like I was playing the character when I wore them. I was thinking about taking some of the clothes from 'Gossip Girl,' but then I thought 'No, it'll just remind me of the character.'"
A Bittersweet Ending
The cast and crew were generally in agreement that it was time for "Gossip Girl" to come to an end by the sixth season, but saying goodbye wasn't easy.
"I miss it already. It's been a few weeks since we filmed the finale ... I absolutely loved that job," Szadowski said. "I loved working with all those people, and I have a little love affair with Dorota. The writers created so many funny things for me to do, and I was excited before every episode to find out what shenanigans I would be up to. Now that it's ended I'm very sentimental about it."
"It was an emotional last day," Rutherford added. "But we're thankful, because at least we got to finish the way we wanted to. We knew it was going to be over. So many times they cancel a show and you never get to say goodbye to everyone. We were all happy that we got to do that."
"We had a party before the last couple of days," Colin said. "On my Facebook page you see me, Wally [Shawn] and Zuzanna [Szadkowski] shooting the last scene of "Gossip Girl." It was bittersweet, but also really cool."
Catch the "Gossip Girl" series finale on Monday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m. EST on The CW.
