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That special something! Blake Lively displays the subtle guile of youth in unearthed Gossip Girl audition tape

Published: 00:25 EST, 7 October 2015 | Updated: 08:45 EST, 7 October 2015

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CW's popular series Gossip Girl turned Blake Lively into a star and now fans can see what producers saw in her the moment she sat down for the audition.

The 28-year-old actress had that special sparkle in the recently uncovered audition tape that shows Blake reading for the role of Upper East Side teen socialite Serena van der Woodsen almost a decade ago.

Blake - who revealed last week that she's closing down her lifestyle website Preserve - didn't flub one word while trading lines with best friend and sometime enemy Blair Waldorf.

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Raw talent: Blake Lively proved why she - and only she - should play Serena van der Woodsen in the recently uncovered audition tape for Gossip Girl

The role of Blair would later be played by Leighton Meester, but in this instance the part was read back a production assistant presumably.

The scene had Blake/Serena looking slightly uncomfortable - but then again she'd just returned from a long parent-enforced stay at boarding school - before asking Blair how her mom is.

Blair went on tell Serena that her mom lost 15 lbs and got an eyelift after Blair's dad left her for another man.

Core characters: Thanks to that audition, the actress won the role of Serena in the CW hit series that followed her friendship with Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester)

Pleading: Blake, as Serena, pleads with Blair to let things go back to the way there were before she was sent away to boarding school

Transparent: Blake acted out emotions that went from apologetic to fidgety to relieved when she and Blair make up at the end of the two-minute audition tape

Blake's expressions changed subtly and when Blair gave her the guilt trip over not calling or writing while this was happening, Blake flipped her hair and slapped her legs.

Blake's girlish charm shone through when she pleaded with Blair to let things go back to the way they used to be, and her smile was evidence of stardom ahead.

While Blake didn't miss a beat in her audition, Ed Westwick's audition tape suffered a pause when he forgot a line, saying, 'Sorry, I just completely went blank there.'

Success story: Gossip Girl ran from 2007 to 2012 and made stars out of Blake and Leighton

Rascal: Ed Westwick's audition tape proved that no one could play teen scoundrel Chuck Bass better than him

Blanking out: There was a moment when Ed couldn't remember his line but the producers obviously forgave him for that slip

Ed, however, got the benefit of reading the part twice, in his proper English accent and in American one.

Just last week Blake, who nine months ago gave birth to her first child, a daughter she and husband Ryan Reynolds named James, announced she was closing her website Preserve.

Full steam ahead: Blake (pictured on April 19) is on a roll and has three films in the works including an untitled Woody Allen project

Shutting down: The actress revealed last week that she will close her lifestyle website Preserve on October 9

Blake explained the decision to Vogue, saying: 'I know what it’ll look like, what I’m facing publicly, that people are just going to have a heyday with this.

'But it’s so much worse to continue to put something out there - to ask my team to put something out there - that isn’t the best we can do.'

She added: 'We have an incredible team of people who do beautiful work, but we launched the site before it was ready, and it never caught up to its original mission: It’s not making a difference in people’s lives, whether superficially or in a meaningful way.'