Does ‘You’ Star Penn Badgley Like Playing Joe? Here’s His Unexpected Answer
Penn Badgley, the star of the hit Netflix series You, has garnered widespread recognition for his portrayal of Joe Goldberg, a charming and manipulative stalker-turned-murderer.
While fans of the show may be enamored with Joe’s captivating character, it’s no secret that the role is a complex and challenging one for any actor to take on. So, does Badgley enjoy playing Joe?
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for You Season 4.]
Joe Goldberg is a complicated character
Joe Goldberg is not your typical leading man. He’s a stalker, a manipulator, and a murderer. At first glance, he seems like the embodiment of toxic masculinity — a man who believes he is entitled to the love and affection of a woman simply because he desires her. Yet, over the course of four seasons, Joe has become one of the most fascinating and complicated characters on television.
What makes Joe so intriguing is his duality. On one hand, the stalker-turned-serial killer is a monster who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. On the other hand, he is a romantic who genuinely believes he can love and be loved. So, Joe’s a character who defies easy categorization, and that’s what makes him so difficult to play.
Does Penn Badgley like playing Joe?
In interviews, Penn Badgley has been candid about the challenges that come with playing Joe Goldberg. The actor recently appeared on Wired to answer the internet’s most searched questions about himself. One of them was whether he likes playing the character of Joe.
Badgley said, “Playing Joe has been very enriching. I do like it. I like it the way you like going to the gym when you know you might throw up. You ever done CrossFit? I haven’t, you know, but I know of that. But I know that it can be intense. It’s a little bit like that.”
Badgley previously admitted that he didn’t like portraying the deluded serial killer. Speaking to Digital Spy in 2019, the actor said, “There’s a lot I don’t enjoy about him. To be honest, I don’t enjoy nearly everything about him.”
One of the biggest challenges of playing Joe is that he is not a sympathetic character. He’s not someone who we should root for or empathize with. As Badgley explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2019, “Joe is not actually looking for true love. He’s not actually a person who just needs somebody who loves him. He’s a murderer. He’s a sociopath. He’s abusive. He’s delusional. And he’s self-obsessed.”
Despite these challenges, Badgley has tried to humanize Joe. The actor told The New York Times in 2019, “Joe is this work in progress in dismantling and dissecting the myriad privileges that a young, attractive, White man carries with him.”
So while Joe is not always an easy character to play, Badgley does his best to bring the stalker-serial killer to life.
Part 2 of ‘You’ Season 4 is out on Netflix
Netflix released Season 4 of You in two parts, with Part 1 dropping on Netflix on Feb. 9, 2023. In it, Joe leaves Paris after Marienne rejects him. He ends up in London, living as a fake professor among the ridiculously wealthy English upper elite. Things quickly turn violent when Joe’s pals start getting killed off one by one. Those first five episodes were an intense ride as we watched Joe try to track the murderer.
After a month of waiting, Part 2 of You Season 4 finally landed on Netflix on March 9. In the new episodes, things get even darker. While Joe is forced to face the truth about himself, Kate faces off with her estranged father. Lady Phoebe and Adam’s relationship ends horribly. Nadia begins to have suspicions about her professor. Then, there’s a twist. We find out what happened to Marienne and who the actual killer is.
With Part 2 of You Season 4 out, it’s clear that the show and the character of Joe Goldberg continue to captivate audiences. And while Badgley may find the role challenging at times, he has also proven himself to be a masterful actor capable of bringing nuance and depth to even the most difficult of characters.
