Thomas Doherty Didn't Want to Do His Most Famous Role — Here Is the Story Behind the Reluctance

Thomas Doherty revealed he was reluctant to take the role that made him famous. Here is what he said and why this kind of candor is rare in Hollywood's casting machine.

Thomas Doherty — the Scottish actor whose specific career trajectory from dancer-turned-actor to Gossip Girl reboot cast member to emerging leading man in 2026 has been one of the more interesting trajectories in the specific post-CW prestige streaming era — told Just Jared in early April that he 'didn't want to do' the specific role that established his mainstream visibility.

For the specific candor this represents: celebrity press circuit interviews rarely produce admissions that a performer took a role they were reluctant about, because the specific PR incentive structure rewards enthusiasm for every project regardless of the private calculation that preceded acceptance. An actor saying 'I didn't want to do it' is the particular breach of the promotional convention whose rarity makes it newsworthy.

For Doherty's specific career context: his role in the 'Gossip Girl' HBO Max reboot as Max Wolfe was a specific character whose specific sexuality — explored more explicitly than most comparable streaming prestige teen drama characters — generated significant fan attention and critical discussion about representation. Whether his reluctance was about this specific character dimension, about joining a known IP with specific comparison risk, or about something else entirely is the part of the disclosure that the Just Jared summary doesn't fully specify.

For what this means for how he talks about his work: the specific authenticity that 'I didn't want to do it' projects creates a particular audience response of increased trust in his subsequent assessments. An actor willing to say what he didn't want is perceived as more credible when he says what he does want — which, for his career at this specific stage, is the particular professional credibility that his casting desirability depends on.

For his 2026 trajectory: Doherty has been working in multiple projects since the Gossip Girl reboot's conclusion, and his specific combination of Scottish accent, physical presence, and the particular fan base whose loyalty the reboot built gives him unusual options for a young actor at this career stage.