Charlotte Ritchie Describes Watching ‘You’ for the First Time — ‘This Guy’s a Creep!’
Charlotte Ritchie is one of the many English actors taking over the screen in You Season 4. This season, Joe finds solace in a new life in London, teaching literature at a university. The series keeps Joe’s creepy behavior, but season 4 adapts his storyline into a British whodunit. Still, it’s hard to match the stomach-churning ick that comes from watching season 1 for the first time. Ritchie, in fact, couldn’t get through it.
‘You’ isn’t afraid to air on the campy side
In You Season 4, Charlotte Ritchie plays Kate, a wealthy art director who is smart and protective. Season 4 brought in a variety of English actors for the show’s London setting. Ritchie is known for appearing in sitcoms such as Fresh Meat and Ghosts, as well as her role in the BBC drama Call the Midwife.
However, it’s safe to say that Ritchie has never been in a show quite like You before. The series is a terrifying exploration of love and obsession. Still, it’s not afraid to air on the side of campy. “I love that the writers lean into that, and the show is so self-aware and always winking at the audience,” Ritchie said during an interview with Vogue.
Ritchie’s character Kate, however, doesn’t have many moments of humor. The series reveals that Kate was trained from a young age to bottle up every emotion. This makes her suspiciously calm when the Eat the Rich killer begins picking off her friends one by one.
Charlotte Ritchie wasn’t in the right frame of mind two watch ‘You’ the first time she turned it on
As the seasons of You continue, there are times when it’s easy to forget all the horrific things Joe Goldberg has done. Nothing quite compares to the disgust and terror of realizing just how far he will go for love in season 1.
While speaking with Vogue, Charlotte Ritchie discussed a rumor that she was so turned off by Joe during her first time watching You that she had to turn the show off. “I’d say I’m a pretty inconsistent television watcher, and I always have to find the right show for the frame of mind I’m in,” Ritchie told the outlet.
“When I first saw You, I think I was looking for something to watch that would make me feel good. I was like, ‘This guy’s a creep!’ And that was that,” the actor revealed. “But, I knew I had to come back to it because so many of my friends loved it and told me to watch it. I had a lot of things on my list at the time, and I just hadn’t had the chance to get back to it.”
Penn Badgley understands why fans romanticize Joe Goldberg
Although Joe Goldberg is definitely a creep, it’s also hard to ignore the number of fans who have been crushing on the character over the years. Penn Badgley has always encouraged viewers not to romanticize Joe, but he understands why they sometimes do.
“It’s not entirely fair to put that on the viewer because we’re purposefully creating a device that is meant to be provocative, hopefully thought-provoking, and not just titillating,” Badgley said during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “It’s not a clinical portrait of a serial killer.”
You Season 4 Part 1 premieres Feb 9, 2023, and Part 2 March 9, 2023, only on Netflix.
