Penn Badgley says Netflix is to blame for fans loving serial killers like You‘s Joe Goldberg.
The actor said the point of his character in the Netflix hit was that people were “meant to fall in love with him”. However, Badgley also said that the current trend of people voicing their attraction to the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer was on the streaming service.
Taking part in an interview for Entertainment Tonight’s TikTok account (see below), the former Gossip Girl actor said people needed to reflect on what’s “inside” them if they were attracted to killers.
Badgley was asked in the clip about the message he’d send to “people who are finding themselves attracted to serial killers”. To which he replied: “You need to look at that, inside.”
The interview, which was based around the premiere of season four of You, saw Badgley fielding questions about his character – who has been portrayed as a loveable serial killer. Addressing this point, he said: “Now, to be fair, with our show, you’re meant to fall in love with him. That’s on us.”
However, turning this thoughts to people voicing their attraction for real-life serial killers, who have committed heinous crimes, he said: “Ted Bundy? That’s on you! Jeffrey Dahmer, that is on- that is on Netflix. That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix.”
@entertainmenttonight Penn Badgley has a message for those of you who are a little TOO obsessed with Joe Goldberg and serial kworders 💀 #younetflix #pennbadgley #joegoldberg
Both killers have been the subject of dramatisations by Netflix. Zac Efron played Bundy in the 2019 film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, while Evan Peters won a Golden Globe for his work in last year’s TV series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Rounding off his thoughts, Badgley said: “I don’t have answers at this point. I do, but they’re long. Yeah, it’s weird man.”
It comes not long after Badgley revealed he’d asked You creator Sera Gamble if he could avoid doing any sex scenes in the show’s fourth season.
He explained that he wanted to tone down the amount of “intimacy scenes” due to his marriage to singer Domino Kirke.