When Gossip Girl returns for Season 4, not only will the show trade in Manhattan for Paris, but Chuck Bass will be undergo a serious transformation following his near-death experience.

“I feel like I just need to go back to the drawing board completely in terms of him wanting to reconstruct his personality,” Ed Westwick told TVGuide.com after a Television Critics Association panel Thursday. “The person he was up until that point just led to complete devastation. It’s interesting to see him now rebuild and see which direction he’s going to go.”

When we last saw Chuck, Blair had rejected him, and he ran off to Europe where he was shot and left for dead in the final moments of Season 3. But Chuck is never single for long: Expect a new woman to enter his life and turn it upside down.

“[Clemence Poesy's] character has rescued Chuck and is the reason he’s alive. I think he feels indebted to her, definitely. She shows him a side to life that he really likes and gives him the opportunity of being a new man,” Westwick said. “I think Ms. Waldorf has his heart still, to a degree, but we’ll see.”

That love will be tested when Blair (Leighton Meester) and the new Chuck come face to face in Paris; Blair and Serena (Blake Lively) fled to the City of Lights for the summer at the end of last season.

“That very act in itself will have explosive consequences for the rest of the season,” creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz said of Chuck and Blair’s French rendezvous. “It will echo through the whole season. It sets in motion the entire season.”

Traveling to Paris for the first two episodes of Season 4 — the gang will tour such landmarks such as the Eifel Tower, the Le Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe and the Musée d’Orsay — fulfills a lifelong dream of executive producer Stephanie Savage.

Leighton Meester chatted about Blair and Chuck’s relationship with MTV News, and while the actress is as big of a fan of the duo as we are, she thinks a time out might be in the cards.

“I love their relationship, and I really love working with Ed [Westwick],” she says, “but yeah, I think maybe there needed to be some sort of break in their relationship and some sort of drama.”

For now, it looks like she’s right. The recent casting of “Harry Potter” actress Clémence Poésy has everyone suspecting her character’s a new French fling for Chuck. After all, the first few episodes of season 4 are currently being filmed in Paris, and Chuck apparently makes a cameo.

Do you like watching Chuck and Blair go back and forth — or would you rather they just settle down already? Sound off in the comme

“I’m not super OCD when it comes to every little flyaway,” Meester told PEOPLE. “I like being a little undone.” And while the 24-year-old star recently became global spokeswoman for hair care brand Herbal Essences, she wouldn’t hesitate to chop off her signature long locks if for the right role. “I know it’s just hair and I can change it however I want. I haven’t shaved my head or anything like that. But, you know if I needed to! It’s part of my job to change my hair.”

For Meester, embracing change is part of her routine, admitting to “playing a part” when she’s on a red carpet. And she turns to her dream team, including makeup artist Chris Colbeck and hairstylist Charles Baker Strahan, to help create her image.       “It’s all about individuality and making a big statement. I leave it to the pros, they’re artists. I’ll be like, ‘just do your thing.’” For more on Meester’s style, hair hang ups and beauty saves and splurges, check out this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now. –Jackie Fields

She is quoted by gossip website Absolute Now as saying: “I am very fast. That’s mainly because I text so much. I am a text addict. It is often what I end up doing when I’m on set and have to be really quiet – I text. I have gotten really, really good and it is really sad! I use all those abbreviations too.”

Leighton – who plays Blair Waldorf in ‘Gossip Girl’ – recently admitted she quit school early because she was bullied over her love of acting.

She said: “I was a bit of a goofball. I wanted to be a counselor, help people, but then I discovered this other side to people.

“I was easy to pick on because of my acting. I realized that there are a lot of people out there who just aren’t very nice.

“I stopped going to school – I was a bit rebellious and just didn’t go. My mother was fine about it.”

Although no release date has been set for the record, Meester recently spoke to EW.com about the track, produced by Mike Caren and Oligee (Flo Rida, Cobra Starship). “I so often get love confused with sex and vice versa,” she said about “Somebody to Love.” “And the song is basically about how I can’t get any — I can’t find anyone to love.”

The song, which mixes Meester’s pop-electronica vibe with Thicke’s smooth R&B stylings, harks back to Madonna’s early-’90s dance music. Meester told EW that she was über-excited about working with Thicke. “He’s so soulful, and his voice is so flawless and beautiful,” she said. “I don’t even think he knows how much I love him.”

The song was written by Rico Love, who has worked with artists like Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Usher. “I was honored when I found out that my record was chosen to be Leighton’s first single. It’s exciting to be able to show a different side of my work and me,” Love said in a statement. “I listen and study all types of music, and I want to share that with the world. What better way to do that than with one of the biggest stars in entertainment today.”

“GG” fans shouldn’t worry that Meester has any plans to leave her home on the Upper East Side for her music career. For now, she feels perfectly fine being both an actor and a singer. “I don’t know if I can really choose a favorite of what I want to do more or what I love more, ’cause I feel like I always felt I can do both,” she told MTV News earlier this year. “I feel like it goes hand in hand. Singing really is acting. In a lot of ways, it’s much more personal. I love music, and being able to work on that is amazing.”

“Leighton Meester’s tremendous presence and spirited approach to her musical artistry is a perfect fit with her new Universal Republic home as we introduce current and new fans to this unique facet of her immense talent,” stated Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records.

“Leighton brings boundless energy, focus, and a one-of-a-kind perspective to every facet of her music,” stated Tom MacKay, Senior Vice President of A&R for Universal Republic. “We’re thrilled to be working with such a consummate artist.”

“I’m thrilled to be welcomed into the Universal Republic fold,” stated Leighton. “Their reputation for nurturing artists combined with a willingness to break new ground makes it the ultimate environment for me to enjoy making music and explore my own creative boundaries. I look forward to a great working relationship.”

Meester, who has built a global following thanks to her acclaimed portrayal of the character Blair Waldorf in ‘Gossip Girl,’ has also appeared in TV shows such as Surface, CSI:Miami, 8 Simple Rules, 24, House, and others. She has recently been signed to star in the upcoming Sony Screen Gems thriller ‘The Roommate,’ directed by Christian E. Christiansen.

“Leighton Meester’s tremendous presence and spirited approach to her musical artistry is a perfect fit with her new Universal Republic home as we introduce current and new fans to this unique facet of her immense talent,” stated Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records.

“Leighton brings boundless energy, focus, and a one-of-a-kind perspective to every facet of her music,” stated Tom MacKay, Senior Vice President of A&R for Universal Republic. “We’re thrilled to be working with such a consummate artist.”

“I’m thrilled to be welcomed into the Universal Republic fold,” stated Leighton. “Their reputation for nurturing artists combined with a willingness to break new ground makes it the ultimate environment for me to enjoy making music and explore my own creative boundaries. I look forward to a great working relationship.”

Meester, who has built a global following thanks to her acclaimed portrayal of the character Blair Waldorf in ‘Gossip Girl,’ has also appeared in TV shows such as Surface, CSI:Miami, 8 Simple Rules, 24, House, and others. She has recently been signed to star in the upcoming Sony Screen Gems thriller ‘The Roommate,’ directed by Christian E. Christiansen.