Michelle Trachtenberg on Mercy, Gossip Girl and True Blood

You may know Michelle Trachtenberg as 'Gossip Girl''s (the CW, Mon., 9PM) resident bad girl, Georgina. But this season Trachtenberg hopes you'll also get to know her as brand-new nurse Chloe on the freshman hospital drama 'Mercy' (NBC, Weds., 8PM).

The busy ingenue found time to dish with AOL TV about how Georgina's like the devil, how Trachtenberg got into the head of good girl Chloe -- and whether she'll revisit her vampire past one way or another (probably not a 'Buffy' movie, but maybe reuniting with Alan Ball for 'True Blood').You may know Michelle Trachtenberg as 'Gossip Girl''s (the CW, Mon., 9PM) resident bad girl, Georgina. But this season Trachtenberg hopes you'll also get to know her as brand-new nurse Chloe on the freshman hospital drama 'Mercy' (NBC, Weds., 8PM).

The busy ingenue found time to dish with AOL TV about how Georgina's like the devil, how Trachtenberg got into the head of good girl Chloe -- and whether she'll revisit her vampire past one way or another (probably not a 'Buffy' movie, but maybe reuniting with Alan Ball for 'True Blood').

How does your 'Mercy' character, Chloe, compare to 'Gossip Girl''s Georgina?
She's definitely completely opposite from Georgina. She is the new nurse at Mercy General Hospital, so she's sort of coming into a really very foreign environment for her. Chloe is definitely eyes wide open. She graduated at the top of her class. She's a bright girl just having to discover a lot of things for the very first time and trying to get in with the girls. But, you know, she's trying to find her own voice. Chloe's 25 and wanting to conquer the world but has to go through a few bumps here and there in the road.

What have you done to prepare for Chloe?
We did a little bit of medical training, and we have medical experts on set. I think that's the most important thing when tackling Chloe, is to just remember why someone becomes a nurse to begin with -- you want to save lives; you want to better people's lives; and I think that's Chloe's inner dialogue.

Which of your characters do you feel like you're the most like in real life?
The way I get into my characters is that they're a little tiny percentage of me as a whole, and that way I can tap into them, and I won't really play a character that I think would be obscenely far-fetched. I think everyone has a little bit of everything in them, especially actresses -- that's what makes them interesting. Definitely the most fun I have is being Georgina, I can't deny that. She's a great character, and she's just all over the place. As an actress that's pretty exciting to be a part of.

Watch full episodes of 'Mercy' on SlashControl

Which is more fun to play, good girl or bad girl?
Bad girl, of course [laughs].

How are you going to fit in 'Gossip Girl' with being on 'Mercy'?
For 'Gossip Girl,' Georgina's going to have her arc, get her trouble mixed in, but as far as specifics you'll have to wait and see. I mean, we're all sort of trying to figure out exactly what that is here and there. Georgina never dies, though, so that's always good to keep in mind.

What's Georgina's college experience going to be like?
Anything that you put Georgina in she's going to have to run it her own way. She's going to try to make friends with people she hasn't gotten along with in the past. But you don't ever necessarily know if Georgina's genuine in her friendships or if she really has a malicious intent. So, it's going to be college; it's going to be her first experiences, um ... you know. She's going to cause havoc.

You mentioned that you never know if she's sincere. Do you think she was really "born again" or was that an act?
We sort of left it up to the audience's discretion. For myself, I think there are probably parts of Georgina that were like, "All right, I'll try this for a second." But I think she has too much fun being evil, so I guess that's the definition of the devil, you know -- he tempts you.

Hilary Duff is on this season, does Georgina get to cross paths with her character?
No, I actually didn't work with Hilary, but we've been friends for years. Georgina doesn't have any correspondence with Hilary, but I personally have and I know she's excited to be a part of the show, and we're excited to have her as a part of the 'Gossip Girl' family.

The 'Gossip Girl' cast seems to hang out together -- do you hang out with the other 'Gossip' stars?
Yeah, we're all very close friends. We go to dinners, we hang out, we have all of our personal jokes and stuff that no one probably would understand but we find amusing.



Have you known any real-life gossip girls?
I have come across a few gossip girls in my life, definitely. I'm from New York, so I've met a few of those girls throughout my years.

What are fans' reactions to you when they see you in NYC?
There are a lot of 'Gossip Girl' fans in the city. It's mostly positive. People are aware that it is a TV show, so there's not too many people coming up to me screaming "I hate you, die!" Actually, none have at all, so I must be doing something right. No, they all seem to love Georgina and, you know, they yell it out, and it's very sweet.

You filmed 'A Couple of Dicks' with Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis -- what can you tell us about that?
I did a few days' cameo with Kevin Smith directing, and I played Bruce Willis' daughter and I actually get married in the movie, which was very interesting, to be standing there in a wedding dress in an altar situation. I was only there for a short time, but I've known Kevin for years, and we've always wanted to work together, so it was really nice to have him invite me onto the set. He's amazing; I think a lot of the movie will be improv, which is really exciting. I love to improv and add to a scene, you know, drawing your own personal element to it. Tracy Morgan was also there, and you know, you're sitting there in a room with that man for 20 minutes and you're laughing so hard your sides hurt.

What else do you have coming up?
I'm actually designing a bag for Botkier benefiting Oxfam, and you can see pictures of it in this month's Marie Claire. I'm really proud of it; I designed it from scratch with Monica Botkier, and it's pretty cool. You can probably preorder it on the Botkier website, and it'll be featured on an episode of 'Gossip Girl' -- Georgina will be wearing it.

Are you interested in designing?
I think eventually ... when I have a little more free time. I've had a jewelry line for many years. Just this very small, kind of out of my own living room boutique, and I'll be expanding that probably pretty soon, but I have to put down a few more episodes of 'Mercy' before I get a break.

You were on Alan Ball's 'Six Feet Under,' now he's doing 'True Blood' -- have you been approached or have you thought of approaching him to get a part on 'True Blood'?
No, I've been so crazy filming 'Gossip Girl' and 'Mercy' at the same time that I haven't even thought about it. My mom and my sister are actually huge fans of the show and I keep wanting to wait till the end of the season, that way I can get season 1 and season 2 on DVD and then I'll be like, "Oh my god! I have to get on this." Anna Paquin has been a friend of mine for years, I'm really proud of her. But as far as doing an arc, of course, it would be something in the future that would be super fantastic; Alan is extraordinary to work with -- it's a pleasure to say his words and take his direction, so it would be something that'd be really great in the future. I guess you can say "you never know."

Speaking of vampires, there's been talk of another 'Buffy' movie. Would you be interested in being involved if that came about?
Well, my whole feeling is, there already was a movie. 'Buffy' was a wonderful experience at the time, I just think, because I had three seasons on the show and we did so many wonderful things, I don't think my involvement in a 'Buffy' movie would be something that I'd be into, just because I left Dawn in a good place. I'm happy where she is, and I fear ruining it. That being said, 'Sex and the City' is a phenomenal movie ... [but a] 'Buffy' movie, I haven't even heard anything about it. I don't even know that they'd go with any of the original cast members.