The first teaser trailer for the HBO Max reboot debuted online this weekend and fans of the original show are eager to see what original series executive producers do with the new sequel.
The New York private school teen drama picks up with a new cast about a decade after the sixth and final season of the original series ended in 2012. The trailer, however, does feature the return of the original narrator voiced by Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).
“You’ve gotten so comfortable thinking you’re in control of your image, your actions, the narrative that you forgot one thing,” Bell’s omniscient narrator character known as “Gossip Girl” says. “I can see you. And before I’m through, I’ll make sure you see you, too. XOXO.”
The original show, which was based on the novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, starred Blake Lively (A Simple Favor) and Leighton Meester (TV’s Single Parents). Some of the female cast for the new show includes Emily Alyn Lind, Whitney Peak, Jordan Alexander, Tavi Gevinson, Savannah Smith and Zión Moreno.
Moreno plays the character Luna La, a stylist originally from Mexico City. In the trailer, viewers can see Luna sitting on a couch whispering secrets to another girl. While we don’t know too much about Luna, we do know a bit about the woman who plays her. Here are five things to know about the up-and-coming actress.
The new Gossip Girl debuts on HBO Max July 8.
She is a Transgender Woman
In an interview with Netflix, the actress said that she was bullied at school because she was seen as “weird.” She knew at a very early age that her identity didn’t match the body she saw in the mirror. She says she received complete support from her family when she decided to transition.
She is Mexican-American
Moreno was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She speaks English and Spanish fluently. She considers her mother the person that has inspired her the most in her life and career.
She Got Her Big Break on Netflix
Moreno is just starting her career. Her filmography only includes one film, the 2019 fantasy horror movie K-12. In 2020, she made her TV debut on the Mexican teen drama Control Z where she plays Isabela de la Fuente, a transgender student who was the most popular girl in the school until it’s revealed that she is transgender. Control Z was renewed for a second season.
She Loves Movies
In an interview with Numero Mag, Moreno says cinema has always been a “defining presence in my life.” While she didn’t see herself as an actress at first, she soon realized that she might be able to make a career out of it. She hopes to “continue creating art” and would like to also write her own films one day.
She Used to Be a Model
Moreno worked as a model before acting, but admits her heart wasn’t into the industry. “I wasn’t very successful,” she says. While she doesn’t consider herself a “model” today, she poses for quite a few photos on her ever-growing Instagram account.