She's best known for playing Vanessa, Dan's BFF from Brooklyn, on Gossip Girl — which turned 10 in September—but these days you can catch Jessica Szohr as Nessa, Fiona's new tenant, on Shameless. Here, Szohr talks about her new role, GG, and the recent sexual assault allegations against her former co-star Ed Westwick.
Were you a fan of Shameless before you booked the role?
I was. I had known Jeremy [Allen White, who plays Lip] for years when I was living in New York, so when he booked the pilot, and then when it was picked up, a bunch of us got together and watched it. I watched it for the first couple seasons and then I didn't stay caught up, and then when I was asked to come in to take the meeting and audition for it, I had called my manager and I'm like, "Do I need to watch these three seasons?" And I was always a big fan—you just know how TV is now. You'll get into something and if for one second leave it, you go back and you have so much to catch up on. But I was always a fan of it. I think the actors are incredible, I think the writing's amazing.
Did your manager tell you to catch up? What did you decide to do?
It came up pretty quickly. I ended up watching a few of the episodes from where I had left off, just to kind of get the tone and see where everyone was, and then I went and auditioned and within, like, two days they had offered it to me and I was super excited, and it was such a great season and awesome working with Emmy [Rossum, who plays Fiona]. In this next episode coming up you see that I am introduced a little bit more to the family.
Did the cast do anything to welcome you?
They gave a really nice introduction at the table read. When you come into a show and everyone's working together, it's kind of like [you're] the new kid on the block and everyone knows each other, but they couldn't have been sweeter or nicer, more professional. When you're going into something after a couple of seasons, sometimes people tend to get lazy or they're not as excited or they complain a lot. And I didn't really get that vibe with this [cast] at all. It felt like they had just got picked up and were so excited to have this job. It was a real blessing to be a part of that and see that and to know that people still worked that way. When I say that, it's not like all the other projects I've done wasn't that way; this was just a breath of fresh air for me.
How is the Nessa/Fiona relationship going to evolve over the season?
They're friends and they definitely have a good chemistry. Nessa really helps her out, even if it's just to be an ear to say, "Hey, what about take this advice or try this?" So they grow a pretty good friendship. Nessa thinks Fiona's this lovely person and she cracks [her] up and Nessa's girlfriend, Mel, has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and she kind of stirs the pot a little bit. There's some interesting things that I know I'm not allowed to say yet that comes up...what Fiona helps us out with and that kind of thing. There's something interesting that happens that is quite shocking. It's kind of funny at the same time, but that's Shameless.
Can you relate to the Gallaghers? I know you're from a big family yourself.
Yes, I'm the oldest of five. I mean, they have so much going on. Being the oldest of five, we were always like running to sports or running to some school function and on the go, and our house was always where people came for dinner and slept over. Ours was very much an entertaining home, where there was game night with all of our friends and family. So the dynamic of everyone being close and having each other's backs and being there for each other I can definitely relate to, but my dad wasn't like Frank. The situation of their relationship with their parents I can't really relate to. But the things between siblings, and being there or having the disagreements and that kind of thing, for sure.
I saw an Insta Story of your mom dancing recently and I was like, Jessica has the best mom.
Yeah, we all met in Arizona for my mom and my aunt's birthday. My family—they're very fun. We like playing games, we like dancing and doing karaoke and ice skating and making arts and crafts. My mom's really creative. That's where I would say we get our artistic side. My brother's a really great drummer, my sister's a really great artist, my other sister can play guitar, piano. [My mom] is like a kid at heart but yet a really good mom with good advice and [she] keeps us grounded and calls us out.
Is Nessa, the name Nessa, a nod to your Gossip Girl character?
You know, I never asked them, and I did find that interesting. But I don't think so. I mean, it could have been. I just never asked because I figured it's such a different character, different time.
Did anyone from the cast bring up Gossip Girl to you when first joined?
Yeah, Emma [Kenney], who plays Deb, was like, "Oh my gosh, that was my favorite show." And she was such a sweetheart. So we had a pretty long conversation just about filming that and the different characters and how everyone was off set. And Emmy's from the Upper East Side, so she was a fan of the show as well. I remember when I booked Gossip Girl and I had to do a little research of New York, because all of us came from L.A. I met a couple of people from the Upper East Side I'm like, "I just need to know, is this remotely close?" And I know that some stuff is for shock value for the audience, but even the bags they would use or having limos drop them off—you know, having so much at your fingertips. So a lot of times people were like, "There are certain things on the show that are a little bit more than what we experience, but a lot of it was dead on," whether it was the fashion or wanting to go to different clubs or events. So I found that interesting, coming from a small town [in Wisconsin] that didn't even have a Starbucks and everyone knew each other, and my whole family lived within a mile apart. It was a totally different world to be in.
Did you leave the show on good terms? Did you want to leave the show? [Editor's note: Szohr left the show as a series regular in 2011, after its fourth season.]
Yeah! Everyone was so excited and blessed to be a part of that, there was never any hard feelings. When I originally went, I was only supposed to go and do three episodes. So on the third one, when they asked me to be a series regular, I didn't know if that meant I was going to be there for a year, if the show would go two years or three years, so I was just blessed to be a part of it. It was everyone's first job that gave them a platform, and to be running around New York City…the city was such a part of the show and such a character, and whether it was restaurants or fashion or concerts or an art gallery or museums, everyone wanted to be a part of the show, so they were so lovely to all of us. And it's also quite interesting because it was based on a gossip blog. And at the time there wasn't really social media, [not] what it is today. Twitter had started when we were doing the show, but there wasn't Instagram. So I look back now and find it so interesting that we were doing this show based on how everyone basically lives their lives now. People can't not check their social media for 10 minutes. And I always laugh with Chace [Crawford, who played Nate] and ask him, because still see each other and don't live far from each other, "Can you imagine while we were filming if there was all that." We're like, "Not at all."
But, no, we all had fun, and I feel like it's one of those things—and I've talked to some of my friends that were on That '70s Show and other shows that were on for years—and sometimes after you get a fourth, fifth season with TV, because you're playing the same character, sometimes you'll hear actors be like, "I'm ready for it to be done." And then a year or two when it's done, you're like, "Oh, that was such a good gig, it was so fun."
So, this is obviously a sensitive subject and I approach it with respect for you completely, but Ed was recently accused of rape by multiple women, and I'm just wondering what processing that news has been like for you.
[Editor's note: Westwick has denied all claims, saying that he is "cooperating with authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible."]
It's a difficult subject right now for anyone that's involved on either side…I don't even really know how to answer it, if I should, because I don't want anything to get twisted, because I have known Ed for years and know how lovely he is, and don't think he would ever put someone in a position like that. It's difficult, because you don't want someone you know to go through that or do that to someone, or knowing them well, knowing that you don't think they would, and you don't want, for the girls that are coming forward, it's like, are they stretching the truth? It's just, it's a touchy, tough thing that you pray it's not true and that with, outside of even him, all these different topics coming up, I'm glad that there's notice being put on it for women that are going through it. But I also think it's a touchy, crazy thing too, because some people are going into these different situations and they're not coming out true. So it's like, well, why are people making it up, because that takes away from the girls that are going through it. And then it's also hard to go back and try to get evidence from things that were so long ago. So, I'm really trying to answer this as open and nicely as I can, because it is touchy, and I obviously for any of these situations, wasn't there, for either side, so I can't say it did or didn't happen. But I know him well and I've known him for years, and I found it shocking. And I hope that it's untrue, but I also feel bad for anyone that's been in that situation, for the women that have to deal with that, for the situations that are true.
Have you spoken to Ed since the news broke?
Yes.
And can you share anything about that conversation?
I mean, he's going through a difficult time. He's being accused of something that he's publicly saying he didn't do. So it's, you know, tough on him. His show got canceled. [Editor's note: The BBC announced that "until these matters are resolved" they are not airing Westwick's show Ordeal by Innocence and that filming for White Gold has been put on hold.] You know, he's like, "The truth will come out and hopefully people see that and hopefully that's it." It's just such an unfortunate thing all around. And I have to be so careful, because it's not my situation and I don't—I wasn't there. So it's hard to speak on behalf of those girls or him.
Right, yes. And I—
I don't know those girls at all, and they could be lovely and awesome and all that. From the Ed I know and working with him for five years and having a friendship through all of that and after, it was shocking. It was shocking.
Are you saying, then, that you don't believe the allegations?
I'm trying to feel, like how you asked the question. I mean, from the person I know, I find it shocking, because I can't see him doing that to someone. And it's a tough thing because I wasn't there for those situations and I don't know. But if you're asking me "Do I think he would do that to someone?" No, I don't. But was I there? No. I'm so sorry, I'm trying to answer it in a way—this could get very sticky if this gets printed and my words get twisted, it's not gonna be great.
Right. I wanted to just make sure that I was clarifying [what you were saying]. To move forward with something more positive, I guess, and to go back to Shameless, can you share a little bit about what happened at the wrap party? Because those are always fun.
We had it at a place in Hollywood and they just had really good food, music. You don't really get to always see the crew so much outside of work—you're all there all day and you're moving from one scene to the next and going in and out of changes, in and out of hair and makeup. So it's nice to just kind of be in an element of appreciating everyone's hard work and what everyone does to be their part of this puzzle to make a successful, fun, great show. There was great music, we danced, ate. They were showing clips of this whole season…it was a really good time, and everyone was, I think, happy to be there and appreciate each other's hard work.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
