You probably recognize her as the girl who made everyone at Constance Billard tremble. Savannah Lee Smith didn't just play Monet de Haan; she inhabited a version of the "mean girl" that felt sharper, richer, and honestly, a lot more terrifying than the archetypes we grew up with. But if you think her career starts and ends with the Gossip Girl steps, you’re missing the actual trajectory of one of the most interesting young actors working in 2026.
She isn't just a reboot star. She's a classically trained musician from NYU Tisch who decided that theater was her "home" before television came knocking.
Savannah Lee Smith Movies and TV Shows: The Breakdown
Most people focus on the big-budget streaming stuff. That makes sense. But her filmography is starting to reflect a range that goes way beyond the Upper East Side.
The Breakout: Gossip Girl (2021–2023)
For two seasons, Savannah was the PR mastermind Monet de Haan. This wasn't just a "minion" role. By season two, she was the primary antagonist, a lesbian power-player who cared more about legacy and optics than actual friendships. It's the role that put her on the map. She actually auditioned for almost every female role in the show before the creators realized she was the only one who could pull off Monet’s specific brand of "cutthroat couture."
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The New Chapter: Cruel Intentions (2024–Present)
If you’ve been keeping up with Prime Video lately, you’ve seen her as Annie Grover. In this modern adaptation of the 1999 cult classic, she’s the Vice President’s daughter. It’s a clever nod to the Reese Witherspoon role, but Savannah’s Annie has a lot more backbone. Working alongside Zac Burgess, she’s managed to take a character that could have been a simple "good girl" and make her feel like a real person navigating the messiest parts of Washington D.C. elite culture.
Recent and Upcoming Film Work
- The Upside of Unrequited: Savannah recently wrapped this coming-of-age comedy. It's based on the Becky Albertalli novel (the same author behind Love, Simon). She plays a character that is supposedly the polar opposite of Monet—much more grounded and "real."
- Something Here: This is a big one for her fans who know she can actually sing. It's a musical where she plays Sam, a protagonist with huge dreams. She’s even featured on the soundtrack.
- Drunk, Driving, and 17 (2023): A Lifetime project that allowed her to flex some dramatic muscles outside of the "wealthy teen" bubble.
- Murder at the Murder Mystery Party (2023): A smaller, funnier project that showed she doesn't take herself too seriously.
Why She Isn't Just "Another Teen Star"
Honestly? It's the music. Savannah grew up in a house full of jazz. Her mom was a professional singer in the '90s, and her grandfather played with Stevie Wonder. That's a lot of pressure. She actually started at NYU as a music major before realizing she didn't want to pay tuition for things her parents could teach her at the kitchen table.
She moved into the drama department at Tisch and the rest is history.
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But she hasn't ditched the music. In interviews, she’s been pretty vocal about the fact that she’s still writing and recording R&B-jazz tracks. She’s a "multi-hyphenate" in a way that feels authentic, not just like a marketing gimmick. She even manages to keep 27 indoor plants alive in her apartment. If that doesn't tell you something about her discipline, I don't know what will.
The Representation Factor
Savannah is a Black, bisexual woman, and she takes that "responsibility" (her words) seriously. When Monet came out as a lesbian on Gossip Girl, Savannah was the one on Twitter confirming it with a "so yea, she's into girls ;)" post. She’s been very open about the fact that she wanted to play a character of color who was in a position of extreme wealth and power.
She wanted to show that Black girls can be the "villain" or the "power broker" without falling into the "angry Black girl" trope. It's about nuance.
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What’s Next for Savannah?
She’s mentioned wanting to write plays and eventually hit Broadway. Given her theater roots, that seems like a "when," not an "if." She’s currently focusing on more collaborative projects—like working with the sister-duo directors on The Upside of Unrequited.
If you're looking to follow her career, keep an eye on:
- Cruel Intentions Season 2 rumors: If the Prime Video numbers hold up, we’re likely seeing more of Annie Grover soon.
- Original Music Releases: She’s been teasing R&B projects for a while now.
- Independent Film: She seems to be moving away from the "HBIC" roles into more indie, character-driven stories.
Basically, Savannah Lee Smith is playing a long game. She isn't rushing to be in every Marvel movie or every Netflix rom-com. She’s picking roles that let her sing, let her be "evil," or let her represent a version of herself that she didn't see on screen growing up.
To stay ahead of her career moves, the best step is to watch her performance in Something Here when it hits streaming, as it’s the best bridge between her acting talent and her musical upbringing. Checking out her early interviews with Wonderland or Flaunt also provides a much clearer picture of her "theater first" mindset than any IMDB list ever could.