‘You’: Penn Badgley Says Joe Goldberg’s Narcissism Means He Doesn’t Love Anyone
People have mixed feelings about Joe Goldberg, the lead character in the Netflix hit series You played by Penn Badgley. While many find him appealing and romanticize his actions, others find him appalling and a complete lunatic.
Badgley understands the quandary. He’s dealt with it since he signed on to the show.
The appeal of ‘You’
Ever since September 2018, You has thrilled fans. With its twisty and audacious plot — a handsome bookstore worker stalks and romances his newest obsession — there is no doubt the series had to have some tongue-in-cheek humor to keep fans hooked.
Joe Goldberg, the unseemly protagonist of the show, lets viewers inside his warped mind. The result? A mix of emotions. Most are unsettling and hard to fathom — how do women keep falling for this man? Is Joe a psychopath?
But Joe’s crazy ways disgust many viewers. Instead, they find parts of him endearing, which is exactly what the show’s creators were going for. To further explore this topic, one of the show’s co-creators told Cosmopolitan that casting Badgley was a no-brainer.
“Penn has no red flags. He is actually the person that Joe is on the outside — bookish and thoughtful. If an actor walked into the casting room and creeped us out, they would have been completely wrong for this character.”
What Does Penn Badgley think of ‘You’ character Joe Goldberg?
While Goldberg certainly has his issues — he is, after all, still a stalker and a killer — there must be a draw to playing a character like that. But while the character might have grown on Badgley, he initially didn’t want to play him.
He was conflicted about the many sides of Goldberg and what this romanticizing of a serial killer says about our society. Luckily, the series creators convinced him there are pieces of Joe’s humanity tucked inside Goldberg.
Even still, Badgley is quick to point out Joe Goldberg’s flaws. When answering questions for Wired, Badgley pointed out that Goldberg probably doesn’t love anyone, even himself.
“Joe Goldberg doesn’t even love himself. Like, narcissists don’t love themselves. They can’t love themselves, and therefore, they can’t love anybody. That’s my understanding of like the emotional and mental reality of love and self-love.”
Will Joe Goldberg ever get caught?
With both parts of You Season 4 now airing, fans wonder if this is ultimately the end for the brooding killer. Will Joe Goldberg ever get caught?
Sera Gamble, the series co-creator, spoke with Distractify about Goldberg’s fate. “Of course, he could get caught, but that’s not the same as asking if he’s gonna get away with it. Ultimately, the thing I think about all the time is how terrible men get away with terrible things all the time in our culture. That’s the point of the whole series … everything Joe is doing he’s getting away with something. And he does it more and more in plain sight.”
She went on to say, “I would like for him to get caught and to stop, but we are holding ourselves to this standard of like, ‘Yeah, but in the world, what would actually have to happen for this guy to finally get [caught]? At what point is the sheer tonnage of what he’s done maybe enough to trigger that, you know, the walls to start closing and for real.”
Netflix recently announced there will be a season 5, and that will be be the last season of the show. And, Badgley thinks it’s imperative to wrap up Joe’s storyline.
