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Penn Badgley just revealed how “isolating” it is to play Joe on You. Does that mean the actor is considering making his return as Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl? The actor sat down for an exclusive interview with IndieWire about Season 2 of You. Back in 2018, the drama premiered on Lifetime to modest ratings. You is a series that’s based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes. Badgley stars on the series as an unhinged stalker, like Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl, but with more violence and less self-awareness.
Following the first season of You, after it finished airing on Lifetime, it was announced that the series was moving to Netflix for the second season. You Season 1 dropped internationally on Netflix to much fanfare. It was reported that 40 million viewers watched Season 1 of the series in the first month of its release. In lieu of the release of Season 2 of You on Netflix, Badgley spoke to IndieWire about his struggles to play a character like Joe. In the interview, he admitted that it’s sometimes “exhausting and isolating.”
“Because I spend a lot of time – even when I’m in scenes with other people – I’m alone,” Badgley said. “Because I’m really thinking about something else or I’m thinking about them in a way that I’m really hiding from them. So, as an actor, it is quite isolating often. And Joe does frustrate me because he essentially never goes in a direction that is good. Kind of strange to say it so boldly. But yeah, he doesn’t make good decisions, obviously.”
Badgley is also concerned about fans on social media being attracted to his character. While he knows it’s to be expected, he does worry about the attraction increasing this season. But he mentioned that it’s too soon to tell at this moment. There’s also no denying the similarities between Joe and Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl. The actor also revealed that Joe is a “surreal progression” of Dan during his interview with The New York Times.
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Does that mean Badgley will return in the Gossip Girl reboot? The Gossip Girl producer wants him to return. Badgley never entirely said no to his return as Dan in the Gossip Girl remake. And I guess it would just depend on a lot of things. It would depend on how and why he’s there and I don’t know… like, is it even… yeah, I don’t know,” he coyly said an interview with Entertainment Tonight. What are your thoughts on Season 2 of You? Would you like to see Penn Badgley reprise his role of Dan Humphrey in the Gossip Girl reboot? Sound off below in the comments section.