"Gossip Girl" is shot on location in the heart of New York City and is based on a popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar that explore the lives of a group of privileged adolescents. But for Westwick, a problem with his working visa nearly saw the actor dropped from the show before it even started. He recalls how he felt as his nervously waited for the go-ahead. "I don’t think I allowed myself to panic too much, because if I would have done, I don’t know, the whole world would have crumbled down around me. Fortunately what happened is I had a fantastic immigration lawyer, who met me in Toronto, which is apparently the place you go to get quickie visas!"
Born and bred in the U.K., Westwick's first acting role was in the 2006 British film "Breaking and Entering" directed by the late Anthony Mingella. He says the experience was invaluable and exciting. "All of a sudden you are 17-years old and you find yourself on this film set with an Oscar winning director, and film stars like Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Ray Winstone and Robin Wright Penn. And it was just like this is pretty cool, everyone is super nice and it’s fantastic. And you’re just like, wow, this is great. It’s summer and I’m 17, turning 18 on set, and they bought me an iPod for my birthday."
Ed Westwick visited Manila.
The 24 year old actor was interviewed by senior correspondent Anjali Rao during his highly publicized trip to the Philippines (his first visit to Asia, according to Ed) as lead endorser for fashion powerhouse Penshoppe on their 25th anniversary.
Highlights of Ed Westwick’s interview with Talk Asia will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing. The show airs tomorrow, July 20, 2011 Wednesday at 6.30PM with replays all throughout the week. Check for more information on Ed Westwick's interview at www.cnnasiapacific.com.