Penn Badgley’s Refusal To Do Sex Scenes Has Hit A Nerve
From now on Penn only wants to kiss his lawfully-wedded wife.
The jury is in and Season 4 of You doesn’t seem to be landing quite as well as its predecessors. So much so that it’s being overshadowed by lead actor Penn Badgley and his puzzling request to avoid any sex scenes in the spicy series.
White knight serial killer Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, is officially back for the 4th season of Netflix’s You. The series sees Joe make his way through various romances and obsessions, leaving behind a trail of dead bodies that he manages to convince himself still make him a good person. If there was an olympic category for mental gymnastics, Joe would be a shoo-in for the win.
But this time, it’s not Joe’s warped logic that’s baffling the internet, but Penn Badgley himself. He recently stated on his podcast Podcrushed that he consciously took a step back from intimate scenes for the sake of his marriage. He questioned whether he wanted to continue on his trajectory as a romantic lead, noting that “Fidelity in every relationship — and especially my marriage — is important to me, and it just got to a point where I didn’t wanna do that.”
The internet, as you can imagine, had thoughts. The response seems to be in two camps: those that applaud Badgley for asserting his boundaries and respecting the sanctity of marriage, and those who think it’s an old hill to die on. It’s gotten to the point where some refer to each camp as the “sexless generation” and “sex-addicted generation” respectively, so it all sounds very productive!
no offense to the sex-addicted generation, but I find your complete inability to accept penn badgley’s right to establish clear boundaries when he’s married with a child really creepy and unprofessional. it’s his choice not to do HIS sex scenes. THE END. https://t.co/NVL3fFZHdB
— beena (@skiesandtheseas) February 13, 2023
I’m pretty sure penn badgley requesting not to do horny scenes anymore is simply the way we’re finding out that he cheated on his wife and my girl had *conditions* https://t.co/hcciiVNpk0
— Jessica Blankenship (@blanketboat) February 12, 2023
what is with all these elaborate theories about why penn badgley isn’t doing sex scenes anymore lol. have we lost the ability to recognize a blatant case of “on a tight leash after getting caught cheating”
— mr. rager’s neighborhood (@lilgrapefruits) February 12, 2023
Generational warfare aside, the industry has made some pretty significant strides in making sure that intimate scenes are handled safely on set with a strong emphasis on mutual consent.
On the other hand, some have pointed out that intimate scenes on screen can feel gratuitous and unnecessary. Even if production is carried out in a safe and protected environment, does that mean the scene is warranted in the first place?
Badgley himself added that sexy portrayals of murderous killers could send the wrong message, which is a fair point considering what happened with the cursed Dahmer series. But if he felt so strongly about it all, why not quit the show?
In any case, his comments offer a springboard into wider conversations around the depiction of intimacy on screen. And if all this was a ploy to generate some piping hot tea to counter Season 4’s relatively underwhelming reception? Well played, You. Well played.