When Penn Badgley recently said that if he had his way, he would “go from 100 to zero” sex scenes on his show, You, he sparked a significant discourse about sex in Hollywood. Penn Badgley plays serial killer Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s popular series You.
On his podcast Podcrushed, Badgley noted last week that while he has always had some qualms about on-screen intimacy, they have intensified since he married his wife Domino Kirke in 2017.
I value loyalty in all of my relationships, but especially in my marriage, he declared. “I just don’t want to do that anymore,” she said. Of course, I wondered if I would still have a career if I didn’t take the show. Consider all the leading men you have ever admired. Are they sharing a kiss? Do they go much further than that? And, as you may know, I truly don’t want it.
Some fans have backed the boundaries Badgley has established.
Why are people so upset with Penn Badgley for declaring he no longer wants to engage in sexual activity? It’s fun to hear actors draw comfort zones. I’m even more excited by the promise of an end to random, useless sex scenes.
— On February 12, 2023, Anne Kelley sends a message to Veil Haven (@unhingedwhimsy).
Others, however, have objected, saying that as an actor, he ought to be able to distinguish between his actual relationship and artificial love scenes.
Furthermore, it’s okay if, as an actor, you find sex scenes uncomfortable and don’t want to do them. To the people you’ve worked with, though, doesn’t presenting it in this way — as a violation of loyalty — appear strange? pic.twitter.com/C940KtWULM
By Guy Lodge on February 12, 2023 (@GuyLodge).
In a new interview with Variety, Badgley, unfazed by his detractors, reiterated his opinions and said that he has felt this way for the most of his career, not only after he got married.
According to him, “that component of Hollywood has always been very upsetting to me, and that aspect of the work, that mercurial threshold, has always been something I actually don’t want to play with at all.”
He adds, “Didn’t used to be the case,” while pointing out that things have grown even more awkward for him now that he is older than many of the love characters he is matched with onscreen.
Badgley is 36 while his former You co-stars Elizabeth Lail, who played Guinevere, is 30, Victoria Pedretti, who played Love Quinn, is 27, and Tati Gabrielle, who plays Marienne, are all between five and 10 years his junior.
You Season 4’s opening five episodes are currently available on Netflix. Release Day for Part 2 is March 9.
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