Why Zión Moreno Left ‘Control Z’ and If She’ll Return For Season 3
Actors have to make tough decisions about the future of their careers. That can mean walking away from what seems to be a sure thing to pursue a new opportunity. In the case of Gossip Girl star Zión Moreno, the actor walked away from a main role on Mexican teen drama, Control Z, after just one season. Here’s why she made the decision.
Zión Moreno played Isabela on ‘Control Z’
Currently streaming on Netflix, Control Z follows a school turned upside down after a hacker begins exposing the students’ secrets. Moreno plays Isabela de la Fuente, a student who is outed as being transgender by the hacker. This revelation causes her to lose her boyfriend and status as the popular girl in her school.
The role turned out to be a breakout one for Moreno, an actor and model who is transgender in real life just like her Control Z character. Before that series, Moreno’s only acting credit was the fantasy horror musical K-12, a 2019 film written and co-directed by singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez.
Why Zión Moreno left ‘Control Z’ behind
Despite the high-profile role Moreno landed on Control Z, the actor left Isabela behind after Season 1. Once Moreno auditioned for and landed the role of Luna La on the new Gossip Girl, she made the difficult decision to leave Control Z for the HBO Max reboot.
“Gossip Girl was something I watched pretty religiously growing up,” Moreno told V Magazine. “I knew it very well. Me and my best friend would compare each other to [Blake Likely and Leighton Meester’s characters] Serena and Blair. … I had a very special place for the series in my heart, and when I got the audition for [the reboot], I just felt like it was meant to be. It was super nostalgic and serendipitous.”
The ‘Gossip Girl’ reboot will return for Season 2
Moreno never returned to Control Z, save for the use of archive footage from her run during the first season. But she’s set to return as Luna La in Gossip Girl‘s Season 2. However, an official release date has yet to be announced. Given the major shake-ups happening at HBO Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s anyone’s guess when that might happen.
In the meantime, Moreno landed a new role as Selena on the TNT comedy-drama Claws. She appears in four episodes of Season 4. That series concluded its run with that season in 2022. But fans of Moreno’s work who are waiting for Gossip Girl’s return might be interested in catching up with her most recent new role.
