Penn Badgley has recently opened up about his similarities with his onscreen serial killer persona, Joe Goldberg in record-breaking show, You.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the 38-year-old, who rose to fame for his portrayal of the cerebral stalker,
“My 30s have been officially defined by him. It’s possible that my role made me a better person because he’s caused a lot of reflection,” said Penn.
The Gossip Girl actor revealed that some of the traits “are obvious like ‘Don’t kill, don’t manipulate, don’t be a predator.’”
However, Penn mentioned, “What I’ve had to do is try to understand, in some manner, where these things come from.”
“I’ve found similarities, and had to understand how it could have been possible for me to end up that way, rather than the way that I am,” explained the actor.
Penn pointed out, “The show is about misconceptions or modern myths about love and about masculinity.”
“I’ve been reflecting on love and what that means, and what it means to be a man and a father and a husband, [while] all these things were starting to happen to me in real life as well,” stated the actor.
Penn found it scary how show’s villain became object of admiration among audiences,
“That’s what I’ve been trying to understand. I think we all have to wonder how much value is there in exploring the darker side of human nature,” continued the actor.
Penn added, “I do think we need to explore the ‘light’ side, and I don’t mean ‘light’ in a way that is thin or has less gravity.”
