04. Fabulous Façades: Peeling Back the Paint in 'Gossip Girl' and 'Love or Something'
A love letter from Emma Tadmor to 'Gossip Girl' (2007)
Gossip Girl, Mon Amour,
One night around the age of nine, I walked into our living room to find my mother watching the two most beautiful girls I had ever seen on screen. Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, dressed in sparkling dresses, looked nothing short of perfect. It was the episode with the Halloween party at The Empire. Serena was trying to make a name for herself with her publicist boss, while Blair called the cops and chose Chuck—not the best lesson for a nine-year-old—but then again, if it’s Chuck Bass, I guess it’s okay. That was the first time I met you, and you’ve haunted my dreams ever since. Of course, it was only years later that I was actually allowed to watch Gossip Girl—but when I did, I never looked back.
You taught me that art isn't just for walls—it’s for falling head over Louboutin heels. In Love or Something, the Tate Modern is my Upper East Side, where Antigone's gaze meets Lorelai's, and they both see parts of themselves they can’t quite place.
Just like the moment Blair met Louis, where every detail seemed as perfect as a painting—until the layers began to peel back. Louis was a prince, then a driver, then a prince again, and finally a villain (or maybe just a guy with a broken heart who didn’t handle it with grace). Everyone in Gossip Girl wears masks, and in Love or Something, I explore the same deception. My characters hide behind façades, often without realizing it—out of fear, out of longing—until they’re forced to confront what lies beneath. This series peels back the glossy exteriors to reveal the raw truth, where every character has something to hide.
You showed me that love stories can be both glamorous and gritty. In Love or Something, I’m peeling back the layers, revealing the complex humanity beneath the perfect façade. After all, isn’t that what great art does?
Thanks for showing me that the best stories start with a glance, end with a kiss, and always have a lot of witty banter in between. You walked so I could strut through galleries, leaving fallen branches and unanswered questions in my wake.
Still waiting for my Louboutins,
xoxo,
Emma
About Emma
Emma Tadmor is an Israeli-American writer, director, and actor. Her first play Plasters premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2021, and her work has been called 'compelling and evocative' by publications such as The List, The Edinburgh Reporter, and The Stage UK. Her second original play, Charlie, premiered at TheaterLab in November of 2022, and in 2023 she produced and directed an Off-Broadway production of Hamlet. Emma has worked with actors and directors from all over the world and is the founding member and artistic director of the RJ Theatre Company. She is thrilled to be collaborating with Amour Films on incredible film and TV projects, bringing her passion for storytelling to new and exciting ventures.
Introducing Love or Something
Love or Something is an Amour Films pilot presentation by Emma Tadmor that takes an in depth look at all the crazy things every girl considers doing to pay for college, rent, or a Cartier Lovelock bracelet. Annabelle and Lorelai are navigating their early twenties in London. We meet them on dates at Tate Modern... with paying clients. They are brilliant, ambitious, and utterly lost– a contradiction that defines the transition between adolescence and adulthood. By day, they are dedicated students in prestigious graduate programs. By night, they are high-end escorts, but for profoundly different reasons.
The project is currently in development.