Penn Badgley says he was correctly skirting the line.
Pen Badgley is the lead star in the Netflix thriller series You. In the series, Badgley plays Joe Goldberg, a book lover from New York City who’s a little too obsessed with the idea of love. In the first season, Goldberg falls for aspiring writer Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail). But that love soon spirals into stalking her and a murderous plot surrounding her and many of her loved ones.
While the show is sinister in its presentation, it’s also a dark romantic tale that, like many before it, includes a sex scene or two. And that includes a few masturbation scenes too. Talking to Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari on their podcast Podcrushed, Penn Badgley shares his experience filming the show’s multiple masturbation scenes. More specifically, Badgley shared that he’s received the same note about how he acts out Joe Goldberg pleasuring himself.
Related: New HBO Series Serves Up Mind-Blowing BJ Scene
“Every time I’ve done a masturbation scene… I’ve always gotten the note to make it less creepy,” the actor confessed to the two hosts and his former Gossip Girl co-star Chace Crawford, who also guested on the podcast episode. “They say like, ‘Close your eyes or go faster or go slower.’ I’m like, ‘What? This man is fucking murdering people, and he’s masturbating in the street. You’re saying I’m making it creepy? How is it I’m the one making it creepy?’”
“I just remember I wouldn’t close my eyes and the director came up to me,” Badgley added. “He was like ‘Buddy, I think you gotta close your eyes.’”
Badgley, however, was adamant on the point that his character is a stalker and serial killer. Being creepy is “the fucking point.” Penn Badgley noted that this was a result of the production’s constant need to be both a creepy thriller and a sexy dark drama.
“That’s just the strange line that we’re always walking on our show. Examining toxicity in sexual culture while also trying to be sexy,” Badgley pointed out.
As for the masturbation scenes, Badgley says that they do add to the contradicting energy behind the hit series.
“You read it. It’s actually kind of funny or it’s creepy but it serves the story,” Badley added. “And then you discover in front of a crew of people with a camera on your face, knowing that, in all likelihood, millions of people are going to see this, you’re simulating masturbation.”
Netflix’s You is currently in production for its fourth season. Though, the production is expected to wrap up by the end of the month. Badgley will star alongside Tati Gabrielle, Niccy Lin, Aidan Cheng, Stephen Hagan, Ben Wiggins, Eve Austin, Ozioma Whenu, Dario Coates, Sean Pertwee, Brad Alexander, Alison Pargeter, and Adam James. In addition, the season will see a large influx of new series regulars including Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, Tilly Keeper, Amy Leigh Hickman, and Ed Speleers.
the scenes can be creepy and/or sexy, just show us dick and balls, we want naked guys, full frontal and we’ll all be happy