Julien (Jordan Alexander), Max (Thomas Doherty), Aki (Evan Mock), and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) in Gossip Girl. (Still from HBO Max)

Gossip Girl has returned to our screens, and in this reboot of the teen drama, Thomas Doherty and Evan Mock play socialite teenagers attending a prestigious private school. Doherty plays flirtatious and immoral Max Wolfe, while Mock plays peacemaker Aki Menzies. Along with the other core characters, their turbulent social lives are what drive the drama of the series. But were their own growing up years just as stormy? Yahoo Lifestyle SEA talked to the pair about their school years, social media, and playing wealthy students on screen.