- Leighton admires actress Cate Blanchett's personal fashion style.
- Leighton's mom, dad, maternal grandfather and aunt were all arrested in 1982 on marijuana smuggling and distribution charges.
- Leighton teamed up with the band Cobra Starship on their single "Good Girls Go Bad", starring in the music video and singing one of the verses. The song appeared in an episode of Leighton's show, Gossip Girl.
- Leighton has a tattoo on her left arm. It's a blue flower with yellow middle.
- Leighton is close friends with her Gossip Girl co-stars Chace Crawford and Nicole Fiscella. She says it's because they're "all just really happy people" and "have the same views on life."
- As of 2007, Leighton resides in New York. She first moved there with her mother when she was 11. She says it's her favourite city in the whole world.
- Leighton is right-handed.
- At the Teen Choice Awards 2008, Leighton was nominated for categories "Choice TV Actress: Drama" and "Choice TV Breakout Female Star" for her performance as Blair in Gossip Girl. She won in the category "Choice TV Actress: Drama" in 2009 for her role on the show.
- She has a younger brother named Lex.
- Leighton admits she is addicted to sending text messages. She says she constantly does this while waiting on set of the series Gossip Girl.
- Leighton, along with Gossip Girl co-star Ed Westwick, was nominated for TV Guide's Sexiest Stars on TV for 2008. She was also named FHM Online's Hottest Star on Television in 2008.
- Some of Leighton's favorite designers are Valentino, Fluxus, Donatella Versace and Foley & Corrina.
- As of 2008, Leighton has been dating Sebastian Stan, who appeared as Carter Baizen in two episodes of Gossip Girl.
- Leighton is ranked #48 in Maxim's Hot 100 List of 2008, and #37 in AIM's "100 Celebs Under 25".
- Leighton is of Dutch ancestry.
- Leighton graduated from Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California.
- When she was young, Leighton took ballet and jazz classes. She also took modern dance classes once she was in high school.
- Leighton became interested in acting after appearing in a local performance of The Wizard Of Oz.
- Leighton's character Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl was ranked #5 in TV Guide magazine's list of Best-dressed TV Characters of 2007.
- In 2003, Leighton appeared in the movie The Jackalope as Lorraine. In 2007, she appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Haunting of Sorority Row and the comedy-horror Killer Movie, alongside
- Leighton's guilty pleasure is flying first class.
- Leighton loves gossiping with Nicole Fiscella on the Gossip Girl set.
- Leighton has been featured on the magazine covers for Teen (Spring 2008), and Lucky (August 2008).
- Leighton is a fan of Chris Cornell, Neil Young and Incubus. Her favorite song is "Out On The Weekend" by Neil Young.
- She has been a big fan of actor Kiefer Sutherland, even before she guest starred on his show 24.
- Leighton loves creative writing. She is a published poet, and her mother is a writer.
- Leighton made her television debut at the age of 13 in an episode of Law & Order.
- Leighton has a passion for singing and writes the lyrics for her own songs. She sung a song called "Inside the Black" for her movie Drive Thru.
- After moving to New York City, Leighton worked as a model with the Wilhemina agency.
- Leighton is naturally blond but dyed her hair brunette even before she got the role of Blair on Gossip Girl.
- Leighton is 5'5" (1.65 metres) tall.
- Leighton's last name, Meester, is Dutch, and means "Master" or "Teacher". The "ee" is pronounded "ea", the same way as the "ea" in "ear".
- Leighton's older brother, Douglas Meester, was a US Air Force Academy cadet who was accused of raping an eighteen-year-old female cadet in 2002.
- Leighton: When I first moved to New York to do the show I had a little half of an entry way closet. I had clothes hanging on my fireplace, on my lamp, it was crazy. When I moved into my new place, that is the one thing that I love and I had to wait two months for it but it’s the biggest closet I’ve ever had. I have another closet in the hallway too. Ahh, it’s so amazing!
- Leighton: (On Audrey Hepburn) I think the most wonderful thing about her is that she set a lot of trends and they were all about being modern yet having your own kind of look because you can be stylish and trendy all you want, but at the end of the day it’s about what you feel amazing in.
- Leighton: (On how she shares the same old Hollywood fascination with her Gossip Girl character, Blair) I really love old movies and I love movies with Bette Davis and her kind of style and look. I love that time period. Because of the show, I’ve fallen in love with Audrey Hepburn. Blair wants to live the fantasy life of Breakfast at Tiffany’s or My Fair Lady, so I’ve gotten to see a lot of the fashion.
- Leighton: (On how she copes with her fame) It’s changed everything for the better. It’s different, but I’m happy. This is the best life that I could ask for, and it’s more than I thought it could be. I remember looking through magazines or watching movies even just a couple of years ago and being like, ‘I really want to be part of that,’ but not realizing what that was. I didn’t understand it and now this is my life and it’s so funny! I couldn’t be happier.
- Leighton: I've never been crazy. I'm a very good girl, to be honest. I don't do anything that would hurt anybody. Honestly, all I ever do is work.
- (from Cosmo Girl! Interview)
Rachel Chang (Entertainment Editor): Could it ("Gossip Girl") be Blair?
Leighton: It could be, it could be. I mean, it's Veronica Mars.
- (from Cosmo Girl! Interview)
Leighton (on who Gossip Girl is): I've had an actual conversation with Cecily, a writer of the books, and asked her like, "Please, tell me who do you think it is?" And I think that the best thing about it and the reason why it's so appealing is that it's a mystery. It never gets revealed. You don't know who it is, like it could be someone watching all the time.
- (from Cosmo Girl! Interview)
Leighton (on "Gossip Girl): I just have fun actually shooting the show and then hopefully like the reason why people are talking about anything else would be just because they're interested in the show, and so it's good news. All news's good news.
- Leighton (on the relationship between Chuck and Blair in "Gossip Girl"): They have a real love/hate relationship, and it's very fun to play because they do care about each other, but they can't say it, so there's that "love that cannot be" dynamic. I think the truth is that she really does love him, so what I'm actually hoping for her to do is not slap him but say the words I love you. But she just can't.
- Leighton (on what's going to happen on "Gossip Girl" in Season Two): We've discussed what will happen, but I don't know for sure what they're going to do. I have to take it a day at a time, but I guess the writers have to take it a little further in advance. We'll see what happens.
- Leighton (on differences between her own sense of fashion, and her "Gossip Girl" character, Blair's): She's high fashion, so I take some cues from that, but I don't go overboard. I feel like I can do it with a little bit less expense. Not everything on the outfit has to be priceless designer.
- Leighton: Everyone has their dog on the set of Gossip Girl. We have a trailer and on the actual stages we have a makeup room and the dogs hang out in there. There are like six or seven dogs at a time.
- Leighton (on shooting "Gossip Girl"): We just keep doing what we've been doing, which is making a TV show that we love. I'm just having a really good time.
- Leighton (on her different hair colors): I had a bunch of different hair colors. I was experimenting to see what I liked. It started off brown, then I did red, then I got really, really blonde!
- Leighton (on "Gossip Girl" cast mates): We all got really close during that. And we're really happy for one another no matter what we do. But nobody has let it go to their head. Everybody is very centered and grounded. I think that we honestly have each other to thank for that.
- Leighton: I didn't really like modelling; it was fun but I always wanted acting. Even now, it's really awkward doing shoots, it's fun, but it's not the same.
- Leighton: I don't want to have a friend unless I can call them one of my best friends. You'll never hear me say, 'This is my friend.' I'll be like, 'This is one of my best friends.' I want somebody to be really close and cool. I like going on vacations with my friends and having them come over and bake cookies or watch TV.
- Leighton: (on the Rockefeller Center Garden Rooftop) This would definitely work as a show location. Who doesn't love a pool and a lawn in Manhattan?
- Leighton: (On 'Gossip Girl') It's mature, but I feel like it speaks to kids and it doesn't white wash anything.
- Leighton: (On her love life) I am so good at keeping it not complicated.
- Leighton: (on high school in general) I think the biggest thing to know is things aren't as bad as they seem. Your boyfriend seems like the last one you'll ever have and the love of your life, your friends and their drama seems so important - but it's not.
- Leighton: (on her headbands she wears as Blair) I love them! I love all of it! Whenever I'm getting ready to go on set and I'm in the full outfit, that's when I feel like I'm truly the character. I love the school uniform, and of course headbands are always in style when it comes to the show.
- Leighton: (on experimenting with her hair color) I dyed it every color. I dyed it fire engine red and that didn't work out. It also had it black and red streaks.
- Leighton: I went through so many phases in high school that I can't say exactly what my style was. A combination of just rolling out of bed and going to class and kind of defying my femininity by wearing sweatshirts with holes in them, never wearing heels or skirts. Also, all black almost all the time.
- Leighton: (on the kind of trouble she got in as a teen) I've had a couple fender benders. And I'd always be out for one reason or another, sometimes working, sometimes ditching.
- Leighton: I've been playing 16 or 17 [year-olds] for quite a few years - everyone does that. Hopefully I'll be playing that age for a few years. This is way more fun than high school.
- Leighton: I don't feel guilty at all if I'm just lying around, one of my best guilty pleasures is doing absolutely nothing.
- Leighton: People say blondes have more fun. I really don't think it's about your hair, it's about how you feel on the inside. I say it's the person who has the fun!
- Leighton: (About her character on "Gossip Girl", Blair) She's really dramatic and everybody thought she was a big bitch - and she is - and that's really fun to play up. But she's also helped me learn a lot about myself, because she can be really sensitive and insecure and vulnerable. That makes it such a wonderful and challenging role.
- Leighton: Writing poetry is one of my favorite things to do and I always find time for it. There are things that I write about most that are just kind of like everyday thoughts that I have, things that come into my mind.
- Leighton (on her "Gossip Girl" character, Blair): I know she's the bitchy one. But she's a good girl. The funny thing is she's not like a normal character on one of these types of shows. Usually the bad girl is the bitch. It's interesting and she's actually a real girl. Of course she does and says the most outrageous things that you would never even think to do in real life.
- Leighton (on her "Gossip Girl" character, Blair): The more and more I go on I can't tell if I'm becoming more like Blair or if Blair's becoming more like me. I feel like they're writing for us. I mean I feel like I've had to put myself into her so that I like her. I couldn't play a character I didn't like or sympathize with.
- Leighton: My nickname used to be Happy Feet. If I'm standing there and music is playing on set, I'll be doing this. People used to be like, 'Why are you Happy Feet? You need to stop that now.'
- Leighton (on her upcoming CD): I write the lyrics and I collaborate with my friend and producer... Shahine Ezell.
- Leighton (on the type of songs on her upcoming CD): [On] some of them I just talk, I do a little – not rapping – but talking, sort of spoken word. It's a little Fergie, a little like Gwen Stefani and M.I.A.
- Leighton (on spiteful gossip): I've learned to let things roll off my back. If people say negative things, I could care less, but I let it give me a boost of confidence if they're saying nice things.
- Leighton (on who she thinks Gossip Girl is): I have my suspicions...If I had to guess, I was thinking it could be Chuck. He seems just evil enough to say those things.
- Leighton (on playing her "Gossip Girl" character, Blair): I feel like I'm becoming more like her and she's becoming more like me. She's young and vulnerable, but also smart and feisty. She's pretty funny and very strong-willed. Then there are other things I don't relate to and I feel like she'll grow out of, like her insecurities and self-doubt.
- Leighton (on gossip): I don't (deal with gossip). This comes from maturing and growing up, but I've learned to let things roll off my back. If people say negative things, I could care less. But I let it give me a boost of confidence if they're saying nice things. If the press says anything, I see it as a plus because at least people are paying attention and watching the show.
- Leighton (on the acting business): [It's] fierce and discouraging. But I think you can grow out of that, especially if you realize the only way you find success is: Figure out what works for you and what doesn't.
- Leighton: When you move from Florida to New York, you're in for a big shock.
- Leighton (about her Gossip Girl character, Blair): She's not the girl next door and she's not the run-of-the-mill bitch either.
- Leighton: There's butterflies, definitely, but it's a good kind of nervous energy, because everybody's really starting to get to know each other, and starting something new that we really hope works out.
- Leighton: [Competition] can be so fierce and discouraging. But I think you can grow out of that, especially if you realize the only way you find success is: Figure out what works for you and what doesn't.
- Leighton: The only way to play Blair, or any character, and make her human, is to find what she is inside me, and I know I have my insecurities, too.
- Leighton (on her "Gossip Girl" character, Blair): Blair's shortcomings are because of her insecurities. She feels all this pressure to be perfect: to be the most beautiful, the most popular, the most loved.
- Leighton (on Blair): I can definitely relate to her.
- Leighton (on Gossip Girl): I think the show will be relatable to lots of girls and even grown women, and a guilty pleasure for guys!
- Leighton (on waiting in her trailer to shoot): Like they say: The acting is for free. I get paid to wait.
- Leighton (on saying mean things when she's portraying Blair): I actually really like it, I shouldn't enjoy it so much.
- Leighton: I could almost compare them [spiders] to a weird looking mouse.
- Leighton (about her younger brother having a brain tumor): When something like that happens, it’s meant to show you that something so special, so important can be taken from you so easily.
- Leighton: They [tarantulas] don’t understand commands. So, it’s not like when you say ‘Cut’ that they just stop moving and crawling all over you.
- Leighton (about her younger brother having a brain tumor): Now he’s perfectly healthy and has been ever since.
- Leighton: They [Chilean Rose Hairs spiders] walk slowly and are not imposing creatures at all.
- Leighton (about her younger brother having a brain tumor): My mom remained strong enough to get him through that time and all I could do is to say, ‘Mommy, I love you, please don’t be sad.’
- Leighton: I had this idea that the handler was taking care of the snake, he owns it and knows how to handle it. But when I started putting him [snake] on, the handler was telling me to be careful, not to make him mad!
- Leighton (about her younger brother having a brain tumor): I knew what was going on, but I didn’t totally understand. A doctor at Miami Children’s hospital operated and took out the tumor.
- Leighton: Working with the snakes was a little bit more nerve racking.
- Leighton: They had spiderwranglers, which made me a little bit more at ease, but the truth is that you can’t tame spiders.
- Leighton: There are a lot of things to think about, but my mom just dove right in.
- Leighton: My mother has been my manager ever since [moving to New York].
- Leighton: It’s mind boggling to me to look back and think that I actually let anybody do that [wear a space suit covered with tarantulas] to me.
- Leighton: Even the overhead like rent or parking your car, living in the city or out of city and paying less and having a commute.
- Leighton: My mother always believed in me and tried to help me pursue my dreams.
- Leighton: She [her mother] has a lot of faith in me.
- Leighton (about working with Frank Perreti): It was cool having him around. He had a good amount of say about how things were going on the set.
- Leighton (about her younger brother having a brain tumor): He doesn’t remember, but sometimes, he said, You know, I am meant to do something special. I was meant to live.
