Penn Badgley Successfully Petitioned ‘You’ Showrunner for Less Sex Scenes
Written by SOURCE on February 10, 2023
Penn Badgley isn’t afraid to voice his boundaries.
On the latest episode of Stitcher Studios’ Podcrushed, the 36-year-old actor said he told You showrunner Sera Gamble he didn’t want to film sex scenes in the fourth season of the Netflix series.
“I asked Sera Gamble, [the] creator, ‘Can I just do no more intimacy scenes?’ This was actually a decision I had made before I took the show. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it publicly, but one of the main things is, ‘Do I want to put myself back on a career path where I’m always [the] romantic lead?’” he said.
He continued, “It got to a point where [I thought], ‘I don’t want to do that,’ so I said to Sera, like, ‘My desire would be zero [intimate scenes], to go from 100 to zero.'”
And while Badgley knew his request might not be honored, he said he understood the nature of the business. “I signed this contract. I signed up for the show. I know what I did,” he explained.
Luckily, Gamble and Badgley were on the same page about the latter’s intimate scenes. Gamble agreed to the request without hesitation.
“[She] didn’t even bat an eye. She was really glad that I was that honest, and she was sort of almost empowered. She had a really positive response and they came back with a phenomenal reduction,” the Gossip Girl alum recalled.
The first half of You’s fourth season is now streaming on Netflix.
