As fans of Penn Badgley may know, the actor was already an established tv star long before he came to Netflix. After all, Badgley rose to fame after starring in The CW series Gossip Girl. It’s also likely that the show made him quite a fortune (considering co-star Blake Lively was reportedly paid $60,000 per episode).
That said, Badgley essentially achieved a greater of fame after being cast as the lead in Netflix’s You. The series also represents the actor’s departure from teen dramas as he portrays a murderous stalker in the series. Since starring in the series, it is also believed that Badgley has been earning a lot more than he used to.
Penn Badgley Had Hesitations About The Netflix Series
Prior to You, Badgley had never taken on a role that’s even remotely similar to Joe Goldberg. And so, understandably, the actor was hesitant to play him. In fact, he wouldn’t even do the show at first. “I didn’t want to do it — it was too much,” Badgley recalled during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I was conflicted with the nature of the role.”
Just the same, the actor decided to continue conversations with the show’s creators, Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble. It was during these discussions that Badgley also decided he had to play Joe. “Ultimately it was when I asked Greg, ‘If this is a love story, what on earth do you think it’s saying about love?’” the actor told Vogue. “He paused for a really long time, because I was sharing with him all of my reservations, and finally his answer was, ‘I’m not sure, but I think we’ll find that out. I think we’ll find out together.’” Badgley himself also realized, “I knew that I would be conflicted about the role from day one till the last day, and that is why they thought I would be good for it, is that I’m not psyched to play somebody of this nature.”
Penn Badgley Continued To Be Conflicted By His Character
Meanwhile, even as the series progressed, Badgley continued to be troubled by Joe and his actions, so much so that he called out a fan for romanticizing his Netflix character. As it turned, it was all a simple misunderstanding. “So I actually had a lengthy conversation over DMs with one woman, and she correctly pointed out that I had sort of misinterpreted what she said,” Badgley told The New York Times. “She was talking about why she was so charmed by me, the actor, rather than by the character of Joe.”
Nonetheless, Badgley continued to express his contempt for the character over the years. “There's a lot I don't enjoy about him,” he even told Digital Spy. “To be honest, I don't enjoy nearly everything about him.” While discussing the show’s second season, Badgley also told Vanity Fair, “We can’t lead ourselves to believe that if Joe would simply find the right person that he would be happy — because he’s a f****** murderer.”
That said, the actor also admitted that playing Joe has kept his work interesting in recent years. “However, it ends up being a deep, deep psychological exploration for me. And it seems to bear fruit,” Badgley explained. “There's a lot about him that I struggle with and yet I'm always trying to humanize him as much as possible.” At the same time, the actor said, “To me, Joe is this work in progress in dismantling and dissecting the myriad privileges that a young, attractive, white man carries with him.” That said, Badgley also pointed out, “If anyone other than a young white man were to behave like these characters behave, nobody’s having it.”
Here’s How Much Penn Badgley’s Net Worth Had Grown Since ‘You’
The salary figures for You may not be available at the moment. However, it seems that Badgley’s net worth grew significantly after starring in the series. In fact, estimates indicate that the actor’s net worth is about $8 million. Others also pointed out that it can be as high as $10 million.
As most would know, Netflix has a tendency to give actors huge salary bumps once their show becomes a hit. And in the case of Badgley, it’s safe to say that the actor is getting paid a lot more than during You’s first season. At the same time, it’s also possible that the actor had managed to strike a better deal for himself ahead of Netflix’s decision to renew the series for a fourth season. At the same time, it must also be noted that Badgley has started to serve as a producer on the show during its current third season.
At the moment, Badgley appears to be solely focused on You as it seems that the actor doesn’t have any other projects in the works. Fans are not complaining though, and neither is he.
