Penn Badgley on Filming Intimacy Scenes in You
Penn Badgley Requested "Zero" Intimacy Scenes For Season 4 of "You"
We've been following Joe Goldberg's twisted romances for four seasons, but according to actor Penn Badgley, this most recent season might look a little different. "I asked Sera Gamble, [the] creator of the show, 'Can I just do no more intimacy scenes?'" he said in the Feb. 9 episode of the "Podcrushed" podcast. "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 just always the romantic lead?'"
Another factor behind Badgley's request for less intimate scenes was his relationship with Domino Kirke, whom he married in 2017 and shares 2-year-old son James with. "Fidelity in every relationship, and especially my marriage, is important to me. And yeah, it just got to a point where I don't want to do [intimacy scenes]," he explained, although he did worry that this decision could hurt his career.
"I said to Sera, 'My desire would be zero. To go from 100 [intimate scenes] to zero.'" But at the same time, Badgley knew to keep realistic expectations due to the nature of "You." "I signed this contract. I signed up for this show. I know what I did. You can't take this aspect out of the DNA of the concept, so, 'How much less can you make it?' was my question to them," he said.
Thankfully, Badgley said Gamble respected his openness, and made some concrete changes. "She didn't even bat an eye. She was really glad that I was that honest," he said. "She appreciated my directness and she appreciated that I was also being reasonable and practical. And they came back with a phenomenal reduction."
The first five episodes of "You" season four are available on Netflix now.
