But when her long-lost half sister Zoya (Whitney Peak) enters her life, everything changes. Coincidentally, Alexander would go on to play influencer Julien Calloway on the series, the wealthy daughter of a record exec with two BFFs serving as her publicist and stylist respectively, with a laser focus on her public image, follower count, and sponsorships. She had about 5,000 followers prior to those pap pics surfacing, but then “almost out of nowhere that just skyrocketed.” A year later, she has more than 151,000 (and counting). The biggest-and most immediate-change she noticed at the time was, of course, on Instagram. “Now I’m like, ‘What was life like before?’” she says, dressed down in a baggy red striped T-shirt and layered necklaces. That was months before the Gossip Girl spinoff would premiere on HBO Max, and Alexander’s life has changed a lot since.
(There were oversized blazers and biker shorts, but not a headband in sight.) Alexander immediately commanded attention with her shaved head and knee-high white croc boots, sprawled on the staircase with terrifying levels of cool. The images spread like wildfire online, christening the new guard of Upper East Side elite in their remixed prep school uniforms.
My Zoom interview with Jordan Alexander happens to take place a little over a year since she was first spotted with the new Gossip Girl cast on the Met steps.