Before Blake Lively became a household name for her portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl and her standout performances in The Age of Adaline and A Simple Favor, the actress was living a very different kind of life — one she deliberately kept hidden. In a recent interview, Lively revealed that she secretly worked as a model for four years before stepping into the Hollywood spotlight.
“I was totally a fraud,” she said with a laugh. “For four years, I modeled quietly and didn’t tell anyone. I wanted to be taken seriously as an actress, and I thought if people knew I had modeled, they’d assume I was just another pretty face trying to act.”
Lively began modeling as a teenager, taking small jobs to support herself while pursuing her dream of acting. “It started as a way to make a little money,” she explained. “But it became this double life. I’d do a photo shoot during the day, then rush to acting classes at night and tell people I worked at a clothing store.”
When she landed her first major film role as Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), she went to great lengths to keep her modeling past private. “I remember being terrified someone would find those old photos,” she admitted. “I didn’t want casting directors to see me as a model trying to act — I wanted them to see me as an actor who earned it.”
As her career flourished, Lively’s confidence grew — and so did her perspective. “Now I can laugh about it,” she said. “That version of me — the one who thought she had to hide who she was — she was scared. But she was also determined.”
Lively credits those formative years with giving her a foundation of discipline and resilience. “Modeling taught me a lot,” she reflected. “You learn how to handle rejection, how to present yourself, how to keep working even when no one’s cheering you on. That mindset helped me survive in Hollywood.”
She also acknowledged how her fears were shaped by the industry’s attitude toward women. “Back then, people didn’t believe you could be both beautiful and talented,” she said. “If you were known for your looks, they’d question your abilities. I wanted to prove I could be more than what they saw in a photograph.”
Now, with nearly two decades of acting success and a reputation as both a style icon and an entrepreneur, Lively embraces her full story. “I’m not hiding anything anymore,” she said with a smile. “Those four years taught me how to fight for myself — even if I had to fake confidence at first. Maybe that’s what being a little bit of a fraud really means — pretending until you become the real thing.”