Connor Paolo’s character, Eric, on the hit show Gossip Girl has gotten a much juicier storyline in the last episodes. As if attempting suicide wasn’t enough, we found out the reason he tried to end it all was because he was struggling with his sexuality. Jason C. spoke to Connor about what’s in store for Eric:

“I don’t think network TV really has the balls to make one of their [teenage] series regulars gay.” That’s what Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley told me last Fall when I spoke with him over the phone — guess he wasn’t a big Dawson’s Creek fan — but even the writers on his own show are proving him wrong.

Now that Eric van der Woodsen (Connor Paolo, photo, left) is out of the closet, will he disappear into the shadows? Perhaps do another stint at the Ostroff Center, leaving more room for storylines about scheming and hot hetero sex? Executive Producer Stephanie Savage says not. We will indeed watch this young kid come to terms with his sexuality over time, see him dating and maturing. “One of the reasons we wanted to do this story was because we’d have places to go with Eric’s character,” Savage explained. “It felt like a really organic way to dimensionalize and activate Eric, so Connor Paolo would have some great stories to play next year. I think he does a terrific job and is up taking on more than he has up to this point.”

As for Asher, Eric’s first love-gone-wrong, he may be heading back to the Ostroff Center after last night’s very public humiliation. Savage tells me his Gossip storyline is over for now, but they really enjoyed working with Jesse Swenson (photo, right), the actor who played him, so there’s no reason why Asher couldn’t rear his ugly, Upper East Side head again later…

SOURCE Zap2it.com

Gossip Girl’s Connor Paolo – whose character, Eric, just came out of the closet – had some real-life high school drama on his hands recently.

“I actually was shopping with my girlfriend yesterday for her prom dress,” the 17-year-old told PEOPLE at the Entertainment Weekly/Vavoom Upfronts party in N.Y.C. Tuesday night. “We’re debating. But it’s going to be fine. She’s just grappling with prices.”

So who is the lucky girl? Actress Alice Kremelberg, who’s had guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and 30 Rock. (She currently has a small role in Tina Fey’s hit Baby Mama.)

“[The dance] is June 13th – Friday the 13th,” said Paolo – who already has a tux, thanks to the show’s wardrobe department. “It’s going to be awesome.”

The Gossip Girl star, who describes himself as a “very caring boyfriend,” said their acting careers haven’t caused any tension in the relationship – yet.

“Sex scenes – we haven’t had to deal with them yet,” he explained. “I’m sure that will eventually become an issue.” But, overall, “it’s nice to date someone who understands the things that you have to deal with [as an actor].”

His role on a hit TV show has its perks, too. “We just had this Lucky magazine [swag event],” Paolo said. “I got her a bunch of jewelry, True Religion jeans. She’s set. She has nothing to complain about!”

Like many Gossip Girl fans, I wasn’t surprised at Eric’s outing on last week’s episode. I was taken aback, though, at how well it was done. True, it was sensationalized and glammed up at Asher’s party - but at home, over the table? That was brilliant.

I love that Georgina outed Eric to his family at the table. No, I don’t believe that most gays and lesbians are outed by their sibling’s evil enemy at the dinner table - but I think that being outed often comes from situations beyond their control and that felt honest.

I also really enjoyed Kelly Rutherford’s portrayal of Eric’s mom. As a mom myself, I understand - no matter how unpolitically correct it might be to say it out loud - that you don’t want your children to be gay. Not because of the stigma that you would face (which maybe matters a bit more in the elite circles of the Upper East Side) but because, as a parent, you constantly worry about how society treats your child. And let’s face it, although our society has certainly progressed in terms of its acceptance of gays and lesbians, it’s still tough to be homosexual in today’s world.

I grew up in rural North Carolina where I wasn’t exposed to homosexuality except what was on TV. And clearly, pre-Ellen and pre-Will and Grace, TV did not portray gays and lesbians in a flattering light. And perhaps it was one too many episodes of Jack pretending to be gay on Three’s Company but I grew to believe that being homosexual was a choice. That is, until high school.

I had a “Jenny” moment in high school. Remember when she accused Eric of being jealous of Asher because she thought that Eric was in love with her? I’ve been there.

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In his first interview since the show aired, PEOPLE spoke with Connor Paolo, 17, who plays Eric and asked him about portraying a gay teenager on television, what will happen next with Georgina’s reign of terror and how Eric’s coming out also brings out another truth: Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) may actually be a nice guy.

How does it feel to be playing a gay character on a popular TV show?
I’m an actor and it’s a part. Being gay is nothing but another way to live your life. It’s just who he is.

A lot of gay teens will be excited to see someone gay on the show. Are you ready for that?
I guess it’s a possibility that fans could take Eric’s coming into his own as a source of inspiration. He does it with a degree of gentility and self-respect. He doesn’t make apologies for who he is.

Did the fact that he tried to kill himself earlier have anything to do with being gay?
As the actor portraying Eric, I don’t believe that I tried to commit suicide because of that. Eric is 14 so his decision to be gay could be permanent. It might not be. It’s about finding yourself. At the moment, this is who he sees himself as … that’s very empowering.

How will the news play out in the next few episodes?
My issues get swept under the rug in the face of Georgina. She has information about my family that no one else is privy to. Dealing with Georgina becomes the main focus because things become very, very hairy.

How will the other characters react to the news? Everyone okay with it?
Each character has their own reaction. It does seem to create a rift between me and Jenny. Chuck steps up as big brother though. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to a slip from Kelly Rutherford, we already know which male Gossip Girl character will be revealed as gay in an upcoming episode.

The fact that it’s Eric van der Woodsen (Connor Paolo) is not too shocking, given that of all the Gossip Girl characters pictured below, he’s the only one without a steamy hookup or romance plot line so far.

But it’s the way Eric is outed that is the true jaw-dropper in all of this, writes Kristin Veitch of E! Online. OMG. For the deets of this juicy Gossip Girl spoiler, you’ll have to follow the jump …

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