'You' star Penn Badgley almost turned down role due to sex scenes, his 'fidelity' to wife
You may know Penn Badgley as the charming serial killer Joe Goldberg (or whatever alias he's using that season) on the thrilling Netflix series "You."
But the actor, 36, revealed in an interview with Variety, published Wednesday, he almost turned down the role due to the number of sex scenes it required of him.
"It’s not a place where I’ve blurred lines," Badgley told the outlet, describing his discomfort with sex scenes despite "having done a fair amount of them" in his career.
"There’s almost nothing I could say with more consecration," he continued. "That aspect of Hollywood has always been very disturbing to me — and that aspect of the job, that mercurial boundary — has always been something that I actually don’t want to play with at all."
Why did Penn Badgley accept raunchy 'You' role?
Badgley said his discomfort with sex scenes is due to his desire to maintain "fidelity" in his marriage. The actor has been married to singer, actress and doula Domino Kirke since 2017.
"It’s important to me in my real life to not have (sex scenes)," he told Variety. "And actually, it was one of the reasons that I initially wanted to turn the role down. I didn’t tell anybody that. But that is why."
Despite his reservations, Badgley said his wife was the person who encouraged him to take the part in "You."
"I wasn’t going to listen to anyone more than her," he said.
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What has Penn Badgley said before about sex scenes?
This isn't the first time Badgley has spoken out about his discomfort filming sex scenes.
Last week on his podcast "Podcrushed," the actor revealed that he asked "You" showrunner Sera Gamble to reduce the amount of sex scenes in Season 4. The first half of the season came out Feb. 9, and the latter half drops March 9.
"Fidelity in my — in every relationship, and especially my marriage — is important to me," he said. "It just got to a point where I don’t want to do that. ... Do I have a career if I don't?"
Badgley said Gamble "didn't even bat an eye" at the request and "was glad" Badgley was honest with her.
"She had a really positive response," he said. "And they came back with a phenomenal reduction."
'You' star Penn Badgley reveals what he would do if he could meet Joe Goldberg: 'I would hug him'
More on the Hollywood sex scenes debate
What are intimacy coordinators? SAG-AFTRA has new protocols for sex scenes in Hollywood
Keeping sex scenes safe in Hollywood: Amanda Seyfried, more stars talk intimacy coordinators
Obsessed with 'Normal People'? The stars open up about fame, sex scenes and Connell's viral necklace
Brooke Shields on filming nude scenes in 'Blue Lagoon': 'It wouldn't be allowed' today
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'You': Penn Badgley almost turned down role because of the sex scenes
