Getting in on the action of 'Gossip Girl'

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Producers have decided that there should be a classic “White Party” kicking off the Hamptons summer season in an upcoming episode of the popular TV series, “Gossip Girl.” And while the traditional host of that party, P. Diddy (aka Sean Combs) might not be making a cameo appearance, four East Hampton High School graduates, who were cast last week as extras, will be seen strutting their stuff on the show.

Calli Nicolette, Leah Moss, Sarah Smith, and Tianna Ferraro, all 18 years old, spent June 23 and 24 on the set of their favorite show, which was filming at a mansion in Brookville staged to look like a Hamptons estate. Tipped off by a friend of Ms. Nicoletti, who works in Manhattan, the girls had auditioned at an open casting held at the Pink Elephant a few weeks earlier. Once Ms. Nicoletti told her friends, word of the casting spread across Indian Wells Beach.

“I overheard them talking about it and called [Tianna] to go,” Ms. Smith said during an interview at the East Hampton Starbucks last week.

All of the girls said they were excited to audition for what is their favorite show on television.

“It’s like ‘Sex and the City’ for the younger generation,” Ms. Smith said of the show, which revolves around teens who go to school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The series is based on a novel written by Cecily von Ziegesar.

“I read the book. It was really good,” Ms. Moss added.

Surprised that more people hadn’t heard of the open casting for extras, the girls said there were only 33 people at the Pink Elephant that day.

“They were expecting a lot of people,” said Ms. Nicoletti.

“A lot more people would have gone if they knew about it,” said Ms. Moss, who will be attending the University of Vermont in the fall.

The four teens agreed that the show is popular among both girls and boys their age.

The young ladies were cast as partygoers at a Hamptons-themed “White Party.” Mostly, they said, they stood around and acted like they were having fun at a party. At one point, Ms. Moss was even asked to sit on another extra’s lap, she recalled with a giggle.

Only one of the girls, Ms. Nicoletti, who modeled as a child, has had any acting experience at all. In eighth grade she was cast as an extra in the Oscar-nominated film “Something’s Got To Give.”

But this experience, during which the girls would shoot seven to eight scenes beginning at 6:30 a.m. and ending close to midnight, was much more demanding.

The girls were paid $85 for a 10-hour day of shooting, plus overtime, which ran seven or eight hours. Regardless of the paycheck, the four agreed it was worth it to be in such close proximity to their favorite television stars. Ms. Ferraro’s favorite character is Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester, she said. Ms. Moss and Ms. Nicoletti agree that Serena Van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively, is the best, and Ms. Smith swoons over Dan Humphrey, played by Penn Badgley.

“They didn’t really talk to us because they were working,” said Ms. Smith, who will be a freshman at Providence College in the fall. But Connor Paolo, who plays Serena’s brother, Eric Van der Woodsen, smiled right at her, she said.

The extras did not want to divulge too many details, but said “there’s a lot of drama,” “a lot of hook-ups” and “drinks are thrown.”

The girls unanimously agreed that they would be extras again, especially for “Gossip Girl,” if given the chance. And luckily for them, the company that hired them, Central Casting, told the girls they would keep them in mind.

For now though, the girls are just enjoying the summer, working summer jobs, hanging out at the beach and awaiting their television debuts.

“I would definitely do it again,” Ms. Ferraro said. “I can’t wait to see it. It’s going to be so cool to be on our favorite show.”