All of the places you've spotted Penn Badgley before 👀
He's SO much more than Joe Goldberg...
Most people will have first noticed Penn Badgley when he began playing Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl, however his recent role as Joe Goldberg, in the Netflix series You, has certainly brought him another level of notoriety - but those won't be the only places you've spotted the talented actor before!
As we know, his killer character Joe is great at hiding in plain sight, so we thought we'd take a look back at all the places Penn has popped up before without us noticing - including a recent appearance alongside a VERY famous pop star...
What was Penn Badgley's first TV appearance?
Penn got his first screen acting credit on the Will & Grace episode 'I Never Promised You An Olive Garden', playing the all-important role of 'Boy #1 - Todd'.
Which other TV shows has Penn Badgley been in?
After this he appeared in American TV series Bull, The Young and the Restless, Daddio, The Brothers Garcia and The Twilight Zone. He got his first lead role in 2002 series Do Over, playing Joel Larsen - a 34-year-old who gets a second chance to get his life right when a freakish accident catapults him back to 1981 into his teen self.
He also had a role in What I Like About You in 2002 as Jake Wood, The Mountain (2004) as Sam Tunney, The Bedford Diaries (2006) as Owen Gregory and The Slap as Jamie. Oh, and let's not forget Gossip Girl - the show that really put him on the map.
Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl
Penn joined the cast of Gossip Girl in 2007 as Dan Humphrey, based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, alongside Kristen Bell, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. The series ran from 2007 to 2012, and ended with Penn's character Dan being revealed as the eponymous Gossip Girl.
This came as a shock to many fans of the series, and Penn himself has even said that it didn't make complete sense. In November 2019, showrunner Joshua Safran revealed that Gossip Girl was originally going to be Eric, until everyone guessed it too easily.
Speaking at Vulture festival, he said, "We worked hard to kind of lay in tiny seeds about it being Eric, and then the NY Post wrote an article saying that Gossip Girl was Eric so we were like, 'We gotta scratch that'," adding that Dan was not his "intended Gossip Girl".
Who did Penn Badgley play in John Tucker Must Die?
Penn's first major film credit was playing the role of Scott Tucker in the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die, that also starred Ashanti, Jesse Metcalfe and Brittany Snow. The film grossed $68 million worldwide.
Is Penn Badgley in Ariana Grande's music video?
Yes, he most certainly is. on 7th June 2024, Ariana Grande dropped the music video for her track 'the boy is mine' - featuring on her chart-topping seventh album 'Eternal Sunshine' - and it starred none other than Penn Badgley himself.
In the video, Penn plays the newly elected mayor Max Starling, who is first seen addressing a serious 'rat problem' in the city. Alongside this, we see Ari, who seemingly has a huge crush on (or should we say, obsession with?) the mayor, rustling up a love potion, which is sadly knocked on the ground by a cat.
Picking up a 'cat woman' persona, Ariana then heads over to Max Sterling's (Penn Badgley) with the last drops of her potion - which she seemingly doesn't need to use in the end.
Check out the full music video below. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE USED.
Penn Badgley lookalike
In May 2020, as the world was in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, actor and musician Rico Lebron took to TikTok to recreate some of Penn's iconic scenes as Joe in hit Netflix show You.
As well as wearing the character's signature baseball cap and denim jacket, Rico strikes a resemblance to Penn with his dark hair and eyes, leading many to comment saying he is Joe's doppelgänger.
What other films has Penn Badgley starred in?
Penn's first film role The Fluffer came in 2000, where he played a young Sean McGinnis, and after a couple of other small roles along with John Tucker Must Die, Penn starred in a 2009 remake of film The Stepfather as Michel Harding.
In 2010, Penn starred as 'Woodchuck' Todd, Emma Stone's love interest in Easy A, and portrayed late musician Jeff Buckley in 2012 film Greetings from Tim Buckley. In 2015, Penn starred as Posthumus in a film version of Shakespeare play Cymbeline.
Is he on a podcast?
He sure is! Penn co-hosts the Podcrushed podcast, alongside Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari. In the podcast, Penn 'reads your middle school story', with the show's bio claiming it: 'explores the heartbreak, anxiety and self-discovery of being a teenager'.
Thanks to the podcast, we've got to see many a playful clip of the actor following various TikTok trends, and welcoming many famous guests including the likes of Penn's Gossip Girl co-star Taylor Momsen, Jada Pinkett Smith, Matthew McConaughey and even Ariana Grande.
Penn Badgley's band MOTHXR
Having been musical from a young age, Penn accepted a role portraying Jeff Buckley in 2012 film Greetings from Tim Buckley, taking guitar and vocal lessons to prepare. In 2014, Penn got together with Jimmy Giannopoulos, Simon Oscroft and Darren Will to form band M O T H E R, releasing single 'Easy'.
They changed their name to MOTHXR shortly after, as another band with their originally name asked them to change it. The band signed with label Kitsuné in 2015, with their debut album 'Centerfold' coming out in February 2016.
WATCH: MOTHXR - 'Touch' (Official Music Video)
Penn Badgley video game voice acting
Video game fans will have heard Penn before they ever saw his face as he played 'Kid' in Mario Golf and Mario Tennis.
Is Penn Badgley married?
Despite most of Penn's on-screen characters having awful luck in the dating world, Penn is actually married! The actor married English-American singer Domino Kirke in 2017, after dating for years.
Domino has a son from a previous relationship, and she's previously spoke about how things weren't serious between herself and Penn at the beginning, because all she cared about was raising her son Cassius.
She told Hey Mama, "I had a really good thing with my kid and we were like this little team. Penn and I were dating, but it wasn't nearly as serious as it is now, of course. I didn't think marriage was in the cards for us. So I was sort of just chugging along, surviving, and getting through the days, and I think the difference now is that I'm really living."
Does Penn Badgley have children?
He sure does! As well as being stepfather to Domino's son, the couple welcomed their first child together in August 2020! Announcing the news on Instagram in September, Domino shared a photo of herself lying in bed with Penn holding the baby next to her on her Instagram Story.
She also shared a photo of an art interpretation of her placenta to Instagram, writing, 'His heart shaped home ❣️ #40dayspostpartum #placentaart,' which could indicate that she and Penn welcomed their baby on 12th August.
In February 2020, Penn and his wife Domino announced they were expecting their first child together, after previously suffering two heartbreaking miscarriages.
Sharing a picture of her bump, Domino wrote, 'On the road again... pregnancy after loss is whole other thing. After two miscarriages in a row we were ready to call it. I stopped trusting my body and started to accept the fact that I was done.
'As a birth attendant, I’ve seen and heard it all. It takes everything I’ve got to detach lovingly from the losses I’ve been present for and be in my own experience. When I was pregnant at 25, I knew nothing. I had no community. I dove in blissfully unaware about birth and its mysteries.
She then wrote, 'Now, with 10 years worth of experience to pull from, I treasure my birth community and the knowledge I have. You’re already teaching us how to stay in the day in a way we’ve never had to, little one. Thank you.' (sic)
Penn Badgley's awards
It's unlikely UK viewers will have seen Penn in American soap opera The Young and The Restless playing Phillip Chancellor IV from 2000 to 2001, but it got him his first nomination - Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime Series.
Scroll through to see the cast of TV show You on Netflix:
Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgely)
Of course, main character Joe returned for Season Two, where he escaped to Los Angeles after murdering Beck, Peach, Ron and Lou in Season One.
Penn is probably best known - aside from You - for his role in Gossip Girl, where he played Dan Humphrey and ended up being revealed as the eponymous Gossip Girl. He also appeared in films John Tucker Must Die and Easy A, amongst others.
Candace (Ambyr Childers)
She played the role of Joe's ex-girlfriend Candace in Season One, and actress Ambyr Childers also appears in Season Two, but this time in real life, not just in Joe's head. Ambyr has starred in various films, but is best known for her roles in You and All My Children as Colby Chandler.
Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti)
After fleeing to Los Angeles, Joe met his brand new love interest... in the form of Love Quinn - quite the ironic name! Love ended up being just as unhinged as Joe, and there was a shock twist at the end... Which we'll keep on the DL in case you've not seen it yet!
Victoria had a bumper 2019, not only landing the main role of Love in You but also portraying a member of the Manson Family in Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She also starred in The Haunting of Hill House as Nell Crain in 2018, and will appear in the sequel The Haunting of Bly Manor as Dani.
Forty Quinn (James Scully)
Actor James Scully plays the role of Love Quinn's brother, Forty Quinn. His character is described as, "Confident, opinionated and privileged — at his best, a charming buddy; at his worst, a razor-sharp bully."
James is best known for his role on You, but also had a small role in series Quantico and 9-1-1, as well as a larger role on Heathers.
Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail)
Guinevere, or Beck, was a main character in season one, appearing as a guest in season 2. She was a student and aspiring writer, who became the obsession of Joe in the first season and eventually his girlfriend, before finding out the truth... Sadly, she didn't survive and he killed her. She briefly appeared in the second series in Joe's hallucinations. Elizabeth also played the role of Anna in Once Upon A Time.
Peach Salinger (Shay Mitchell)
Shay played Beck's best friend Peach in the first season - and was also in love with her, but this was sadly unrequited, as she just loved her as a friend. Peach became jealous and suspicious of Joe - and when they had a huge fight, he killed her. Shay has also starred in Pretty Little Liars, The Possession of Hannah Grace and Dollface.
Gabe Miranda (Charlie Barnett)
Charlie Barnett plays the role of Love Quinn's best friend in You Season Two. Best known for being star of Netflix series Russian Doll, Charlie also starred in Chicago Fire, Orange Is the New Black and Tales of the City as well as Arrow.
Delilah (Carmela Zumbado)
Actress Carmela Zumbado took on the role of investigative journalist Delilah, and it didn't take her long to realise something is funny about Joe. Carmela has also starred in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and NCIS: New Orleans.
Ellie Alves (Jenna Ortega)
You'll probably recognise Jenna Ortega from Jane The Virgin, but now she's landed the role of teenager Ellie Alves in You, Delilah's younger sister. She also had a small role in Iron Man 3, Elena of Avalor, Stuck in the Middle and CSI: NY.
Will Bettelheim (Robin Lord Taylor)
Although the character of Will was kept quite mysterious ahead of the second series being released, we now know that he's a hacker who deals with 'unsavory' things. Joe assumes his identity for a while.
Robin had a small part in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Law & Order, Life on Mars, The Good Wife The Walking Dead and Gotham.
Dottie Quinn (Saffron Burrows)
Saffron Burrows joined the show in the second season as Love and Forty's mum Dottie, who is revealed to also be a dodgy character. She has a strained relationship with both of her children thanks to the secret trauma they went through.
Saffron has been in a number of high profile films over the years, but might be best known for her roles in Deep Blue Sea, Enigma, Troy, Boston Legal and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Dr. Nicky (John Stamos)
Dr. Nicky was Beck's therapist in the first season, and had a guest role in the second. He also treated Joe, and when Joe discovered his affair with Beck, Joe framed him for the murders of Peach, Beck and Beck's other lover, Benji.
John is well-known in US TV, having starred in General Hospital, Full House, ER, Glee and Scream Queens, amongst others.
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