Why Did Penn Badgley Ask For Fewer Sex Scenes In You Season 4?

via Netflix/You Season 4

Season 4 of You has been available to view on Netflix for just over a week now. While you’ve been bingeing the first half of the season you may have noticed the inherent absence of something that was a large part of the last 3 seasons – sex. You’re not the only one who noticed it don’t worry!

Penn Badgley revealed on his podcast Podcrushed, that he actually requested some of Joe’s sex scenes be cut from this season. He has his reasons and they’re actually pretty decent – like not wanting to be labeled a lovesick heartthrob for another six seasoned show, yes we mean Gossip Girl!

via Netflix/You Season 4

Penn said: “I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it publicly, but it’s… one of the main things is, like, Do I want to put myself back on a career path where I’m just always a romantic lead?”

Badgley’s breakout role was as the synonymous Dan Humphrey, a Brooklyn born boy out of his depth in a private high school, who falls in love with a girl (Serena Van Der Woodsen) and essentially spends six years following her around like a lovesick puppy hoping she will notice his very existence – spoiler she does.

 

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While the role catapulted him to fame making him a household name in the acting world, when we hear the name Badgley we automatically think Dan Humphrey. With his role in You he really didn’t want to repeat history and only be known as the romantic lead.

The You actor said: “I asked Sera Gamble, creator of the show ‘Can I just do no more intimacy scenes?”

While we all know there’s a serious difference in Penn’s roles in Gossip Girl and You, the latter had some seriously steamy moments in the first few seasons that makes you feel all the attraction to the main man – if you can forget that Joe Goldberg was a serial killer and you quite possibly would end up murdered if you fell for his ridiculous charm and charisma.

This is what makes us wonder why no sex, when it’s just part of the Joe Goldberg deal but Penn was quick to correct saying: “I signed this contract. I signed up for this show. I know what I did, you know you can’t take this aspect out of the concept, so, ‘How much less can you make it?’ was my question to them”.

Penn notes that Sera, “didn’t even bat an eyelash” when he posed his question regarding his character’s portrayal on screen. He said: “She was really glad that I was honest – and she was sort of, I want to say, almost, like empowered. She had a really positive response”.

We have to commend Badgley for his actions particularly for his alternative reasoning behind scrapping the intimate scenes – fidelity.

via Instagram/Level Up Magz

As a man with a wife and two kids, Penn doesn’t particularly want to be sexing it up on screens for the entire world to see, including his family.

He responds clearly saying: “Fidelity in every relationship – especially in marriage – is important to me”.

Well at least we know he didn’t keep any personality traits from the eponymous Joe Goldberg!

• Penn Badgley
• You season 4