You probably know her as NYC prepster Serena van der Woodsen, but growing up, Blake Lively couldn't have been more different than her 'Gossip Girl' character. Instead of Manhattan and hip nightclubs, she had Disneyland and Denny's. In the December issue of Marie Claire, Lively opened up about the unusual adventures she had with her mother, as well as her three favorite food groups: sugary, cheesy, and fried.What's your first memory? "Oh, geez, I remember I was about 3 years old, and I woke up--we were staying at Disneyland. I was in a little pink silk bed, and there were Mickey and Donald and Goofy looking down at me. It was the most exciting place in the world. I kind of feel like I grew up at Disneyland." Blake Photo Shoot, After the Jump
What do you mean, you grew up in Disneyland? "My mom would take me there twice a week. I did well in school, so I guess my mom just wanted to have some extra time to bond with me. Sometimes, when I was older, she'd keep me out till 1 in the morning."
She would take you out of school and keep you out till 1 in the morning? "We only stayed out late on weekends. We'd get a hotel room and then go to Denny's, drink coffee, and talk for hours. I've always been a night owl. Even at home, we'd stay up all night talking. My mom tells the most amazing stories. In a way, she was kind of raising me to be a great actress without even realizing it."
Do you think of yourself as Southern, even though you grew up in L.A.? "I grew up in L.A., but I was the only one in my family born there. I have a tight-knit Southern family, so whenever I tell people I'm from L.A., they say, 'Yeah, but you don't count,' I guess because of the Southern values I was raised with, and the way I eat-the more sugary and cheesy and fried, the better."
