Eric van der Woodsen

Eric van der Woodsen
Gossip Girl character
Connor Paolo as Eric van der Woodsen
First appearance	Novel: Gossip Girl Television: "Pilot" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	Novel: I Will Always Love You Television: "New York, I Love You XOXO" (episode 6.10)
Created by	Character Cecily von Ziegesar Developed for Television Josh Schwartz Stephanie Savage
Portrayed by	Connor Paolo
Information
Aliases	E
Occupation	Novels: College student (at Brown) Television: High school student (at St. Jude's; graduated) College student (at Central Saint Martins) (former)
Family	William van der Woodsen (father) Lillian "Lily" van der Woodsen (mother) Serena van der Woodsen (sister) Television: Bartholomew "Bart" Bass (Former stepfather) Rufus Humphrey (stepfather) Scott Rosson (maternal half-brother) Charles "Chuck" Bass (adoptive stepbrother) Daniel "Dan" Humphrey (stepbrother/brother-in-law) Jennifer "Jenny" Humphrey (stepsister) Rick and Celia "CeCe" Rhodes (maternal grandparents)
Relatives	Carol Rhodes (maternal aunt) Lola Rhodes (paternal half-sister / cousin)

Eric van der Woodsen (spelled Erik in the novels) is a fictional character from the book series Gossip Girl and the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Connor Paolo.

Erik is described as similar to every van der Woodsen: tall, thin, and blonde. The older brother of Serena van der Woodsen, Erik van der Woodsen is not featured in the books very often. A junior at Brown University, Serena has said he has "at least six or seven different girlfriends he sleeps with routinely." On a trip to Sun Valley, Erik and Serena’s best friend Blair Waldorf dated briefly.

Very close to his sister, Erik threw her a giant sweet sixteenth birthday bash and drove her up to Hanover on her first day of school there. Aside from his brief appearances, Erik remained a relatively quiet secondary character throughout the series, however he did have a bigger part in the Gossip Girl prequel, Gossip Girl: It Had to Be You.

In contrast to the novels, Eric's character is more complex in the show, showing a mature understanding of family and relationships but faces the same troubles as most teenagers have. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times mentions his character's deviation from the novels from "an object of female lust" to one of "...psychotherapy." but notes his strong bond with Serena, stating how he "is misunderstood by all but his caring, if troubled, sister." Despite his mature persona, Eric is no stranger to the problems that most teens face as his stay at the Ostroff Center, a rehabilitation facility, is a result of his constant loneliness and his mother's many unstable marriages. Connor Paolo notes that Eric's lack of a father figure contributed to his suicide attempt.

At the beginning of the season, Eric has been living at the Ostroff Center, a high-class mental facility. Serena frequently visits him after coming back. As well as trying to convince the doctors and her mother Lilly to let him out. They let Eric out temporarily, during the Ivy League Mixer, where he develops a friendship with Jenny Humphrey. After Blair Waldorf humiliates his sister, telling the whole school she was attending the Ostroff Center during her absence having mistakenly seeing photos of Serena entering the center, Eric tells Blair he was the one attending the mental center and shows her the scars on his wrists from his suicide attempt.