GOSSIP GIRL: Kelly Rutherford Teases the Season 5 Finale

While Bart Bass’ resurrection on GOSSIP GIRL has already massively impacted his son, Chuck, there’s another important person in his life who is still in the dark — his wife, Lily.

I spoke with Kelly Rutherford (Lily) to see what she could share about the Bart drama, Rufus and Lily’s marital problems, and more…

It feels like things are just about to explode for Lily. What can you tease about what she’ll be up to in the finale?
Kelly Rutherford: Oh my God. It’s crazy what’s happening. It’s so much fun. They certainly kept it fresh and exciting for us. Lily is going to have some big choices to make here with Bart back and that big surprise [and] her marriage to Rufus being very challenging.

How is her reunion with Bart? They didn’t leave things on the best of terms before he “died”…
KR: Exactly! But I think it’s been long enough that there is a lot of intrigue there, as it would be for anyone. [Laughs] The reality of that, that would be interesting to see. How the dynamic of that and them plays out given all the mystery around it.

Is she at all angry or resentful
KR: Yeah, I think it’s probably a mixture of feelings. She’s probably happy and surprised he’s alive on one level. And on the other, there has to this kind of anger and upset that she was not told about it and this was kept from her. I think anyone would feel a lot of different emotions about this particular situation. [Laughs]

And where do Rufus and Lily stand? Do they see this as their get-out-of-jail-free card since they’re possibly no longer legally married and they’ve been having a lot of problems?
KR: I think that with a lot of the characters on this show, we’re going to have to make some choices. And we’re all sort of dealing with some pivotal moments in their lives and what kind of choices they’re going to make, which is part of what — after five seasons — has kept us so exciting. Certainly to act in, and I think to watch. I don’t know that exactly, but she’s going to have to make some choices. She’s being pushed to.

Do you have a personal preference about where Lily goes from here?
KR: I’m really willing to see where the journey goes because as an actor, I never expected this. So it certainly makes it so much more fun to act and have such a fun, wonderfully rich storyline. And working with such fun actors. Both of them are so handsome and I just love working with them. And really fantastic actors. It’s just fun. It really is. It’s fun to go to work, it’s fun to go to work with these actors. And the writers, producers, they’ve certainly kept it interesting for all of us to act. And hopefully the audience feels the same way.

Given that it seems you may not really know where Rufus and Lily stand in the finale, are there a lot of cliffhangers?
KR: Yes. Yes. It seems like everyone is having to deal with a major life situation and some big choices. So yeah…it’s a lot of fun.

And is Lily’s cliffhanger about the relationships, or is there some other drama we don’t know about yet?
KR: Well, I think that’s a lot. [Laughs] I think she’s had a lot do with the kids in the past season, obviously the loss of her mother and how that’s played out. How that’s been on her relationship with her husband and also her kids. SHe’s had a lot of that to deal with. So now to be more focused on romantic things and choices and this new sort of surprise of Bart being back. Never a dull moment!

Well, in terms of the kids, Serena’s brief stint as Gossip Girl seems to have opened up a massive can of worms for the finale. Is Lily going to get pulled into that drama at all?
KR: Yes and no. From what I remember, I know that Lily is there and aware of what’s going on and what goes on with the kids.

You’ve mentioned your increased screen time with the “kids.” Was there anyone you wish you had more time with?
KR: I love my scenes with Chuck. We have so much fun and I think it’s such an interesting dynamic to play the stepmother and be a voice in terms of what he’s dealing with and be a person he trusts. I think that’s such an overly rich relationship they have.

I think it’s fun that so many of the characters came back this season. CeCe came back for a really wonderful, rich storyline. And so did Billy Baldwin who has given so much to show playing Serena’s dad, my ex-husband. They had to cast a lot of ex-husbands. [Laughs] And with Liz Hurley being on the show and that whole storyline being great. She brought all of those boys together in such a cool way. It’s really amazing what they’ve done with such success on the show is take the characters and evolve them into the real world. That doesn’t always happen. But you’re seeing everyone grow up and deal with the real world and real choices. It’s really fun.

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The GOSSIP GIRL season finale airs tonight at 8 PM on The CW. Will you be tuning in?

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