Penn Badgley explains why he had to throw out his 'no sex scene rule' in You season 4 after request sparked debate
Penn Badgley's request for 'no sex scenes' while filming the final season of You didn't exactly go down well.
The hit Netflix psychological thriller first graced our screens back in 2018, with the fifth and final series of You landing on the streaming platform on Thursday (April 24).
While we've all been gripped by the terrifyingly charming serial killer Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, what has been notably absent from the show were some steamy scenes.
Fans noted throughout season four that Joe and his lover-turned-wife Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie) didn't share a single revealing sex scene - as Badgley had vowed against shooting them.
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But this apparently caused so such outrage at the time, that the Gossip Girl star had to change his position - meaning we have some more intimate moments to look forward to in the final instalment.
"I had to throw that out the window," the 38-year-old told PEOPLE, saying how the shift was a 'real question' he had to face before shooting the scenes.
"That was the question again. All right, what am I willing to do?" he explained. "And as I always said, I said, my desire is that least as possible, but if it's necessary, that's the show we all sign up to make.
"So, let's make sure it's vital, let's make sure it's important, it's deliberate. And we did."
The shift comes as Badgley revealed on his podcast that he had asked showrunner Sera Gamble if they could dilute such scenes in You's fourth season, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
He said at the time: "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.”
But an angry mob of comments took to social media, and a debate about onscreen sex and whether such performances amount to cheating bubbled and boiled over.
In a subsequent interview with GQ, the Maryland-born star said he was shocked by the reaction and said the whole thing had been 'blown out of proportion.'
Still, Badgley doubled-down, saying the lack of sex scenes didn't alter the course of the show.
"It didn’t change the trajectory of the season at all,” he added. “I mean, Joe was naturally ready to not be in that position anymore.”
This time, however, Joe - and Badgley - were apparently ready to spice things up again in front of the cameras for season five as the actor said the series 'really had to return to form' what with Joe being seen as a 'romantic icon' again.
Badgley also confessed he will 'miss' Joe 'a little bit' after taking on the role for almost a decade.
"He's been a profound experience for me. He's not a real person. So what have I been doing? I've been engaging in this ... my entire 30s," he told PEOPLE. "I was 30 when I took the role. I'm going to be 39 this year. Even though the show, the way it came out, it's actually been closer to seven years. For me, it's like my 30s."
"I became a father while I was on this show. I only got married just before I took the role. So I've grown a lot and I've grown with Joe in a strange way," Badgley added.
All 10 episodes of the final season of You are streaming on Netflix now.
Topics: Penn Badgley, You, Netflix, US News, Film and TV
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