SPOILERS: This post contains details about the fifth and final season of You
Despite his efforts not to romanticize his You character Joe Goldberg, Penn Badgley gave the controversial character a steamy send-off.
After being outspoken about his decision not to do sex scenes for the Netflix series, the actor explained he “had to throw that out the window” for the fifth and final season, which is now available to stream.
“That was the question again. All right, what am I willing to do?” he told People of his talks with the show’s creative team. “And as I always said, I said, my desire is that least as possible, but if it’s necessary, that’s the show we all sign up to make. So, let’s make sure it’s vital, let’s make sure it’s important, it’s deliberate. And we did.”
Badgley explained that for the show to reach a proper conclusion, they “really had to return to form” with his lead being seen as “a romantic icon,” disarming his victims with his charm.
The actor previously told Deadline the show has become “a meta exercise on: Why are we so obsessed with this man?“
Madeline Brewer and Penn Badgley in ‘You’ (Clifton Prescod/Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection)
“Apart from the superficial reasons, what is it about a protagonist like this that works? And I think we deliver; it’s a true deconstruction of Joe,” he explained.
“That’s actually where he does his worst work, is his manipulation and seduction,” added Badgley. “The box is kind of obvious, the box is actually where he’ll put anybody, but he only puts women in the bedroom, so that’s where his most dangerous work is. And it was important for him to be seen, finally, as a sexual predator.”
After the first two seasons of You featured Joe in plenty of steamy situations, Badgley revealed in 2023 that he asked showrunner Sera Gamble for “no more intimacy scenes,” explaining he didn’t want to be typecast as “the romantic lead,” also citing fidelity in his marriage as an important factor.
