Netflix's You Star Penn Badgeley Is Always Told To Be 'Less Creepy' When Filming Masturbation Scenes

If you think about the series You, a couple of things will come to mind, most notably the brutal murders and the masturbation scenes. They really stick with you.

The hit thriller centres on the seemingly charming and harmless Joe Goldberg, who is quite simply an obsessive, cold blooded killer.

In the first season, he develops a dangerous infatuation with one of his customers, Guinevere Beck, and begins following her home and watching every move she makes.

And at one point, while standing across the street from her apartment, Joe decides it's the perfect time to have a little tug on the old fella, before he is rudely interrupted.

It's something that's repeated throughout the series, and is as weird as it sounds.

Netflix

But Penn Badgley, who plays the murderer, says whenever he films those scenes he's told to try and tone down the creepiness. Imagine that.

Speaking about it on his podcast Podcrushed, the actor said: "Every time I've done a masturbation scene... I've always gotten the note to make it less creepy.

"They say like, 'Close your eyes or go faster or go slower'. I'm like, 'What? This man is f*****g murdering people, and he's masturbating in the street. You're saying I'm making it creepy? How is it I'm the one making it creepy?'"

Recalling the first time he had to do it, Badgley said he had to be told exactly what to do.

He said: "I just remember I wouldn't close my eyes and the director came up to me, he was like 'Buddy, I think you gotta close your eyes'."

And while he initially tried to stand his ground because he believed that creepiness was "the f*****g point', he just did what he was told.

Alamy

He added: "That's just the strange line that we're always walking on our show. Examining toxicity in sexual culture while also trying to be sexy."

Fans of the series will be excited to know that a fourth instalment is on its way.

Badgley was actually spotted filming the show at a Royal Holloway university near London recently. After spotting the actor, one student took to TikTok to share the news, captioning the video: "Arrived to campus today and they were filming You season 4."

In the video, Goldberg can be seen in what looks like a full-on professor get up, tie, waistcoat, beige blazer, etc. You get the idea.

A camera crew follows him as he strolls across the campus, even doing a dramatic turn along the way.