Television, perhaps more than movies, has a way of etching its stars in stone. And few actors seem to be able to break the mold more than once. Which is what makes Penn Badgley’s career—first on Gossip Girl then You—special. 

We sit this week around the fifth and final season ofYou(7:00) to unpack its shocking series finale [spoiler] (9:13) and the political climate in which the show is coming to a close (12:10). Then, Penn opens up about the solitude of his west coast upbringing (19:50), his years as a child actor (23:19), and his beloved portrayal of Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl (33:12).

On the back-half, Badgley’s transformative trip to South America in 2012 (39:46), his spiritual journey into the Bahá'í Faith (42:38), and how these experiences led him to his wife, Domino (44:30). To close, he describes the intense physical experience of filming the You finale [spoiler](51:36), what the ‘fantasy of Joe Goldberg’ reveals about masculinity today (55:55), and a fitting Dave Eggers passage from the prologue of The Executioner’s Song (1:03:22).

We’re now on YouTube! Drop us a line at mail@talkeasypod.com.

This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios.

Television, perhaps more than movies, has a way of etching its stars in stone. And few actors seem to be able to break the mold more than once. Which is what makes Penn Badgley&rsquo;s career&mdash;first on Gossip Girl then You&mdash;special.&nbsp;
We sit this week around the fifth and final season of<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80211991"> You</a> (7:00) to unpack its shocking series finale [spoiler] (9:13) and the political climate in which the show is coming to a close (12:10). Then, Penn opens up about the solitude of his west coast upbringing (19:50), his years as a child actor (23:19), and his beloved portrayal of Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl (33:12).
On the back-half, Badgley&rsquo;s transformative trip to South America in 2012 (39:46), his spiritual journey into the Bah&aacute;'&iacute; Faith (42:38), and how these experiences led him to his wife, Domino (44:30). To close, he describes the intense physical experience of filming the You finale [spoiler] (51:36), what the &lsquo;fantasy of Joe Goldberg&rsquo; reveals about masculinity today (55:55), and a fitting Dave Eggers passage from the prologue of The Executioner&rsquo;s Song (1:03:22).
We&rsquo;re now on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@talkeasypod">YouTube</a>! Drop us a line at <a href="mailto:mail@talkeasypod.com">mail@talkeasypod.com</a>.
This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios.

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.

Where people sound like people, since 2016.

Advertisement