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You Star Penn Badgley Calls Gossip Girl ‘Superficial’; Says He Doesn’t Miss the ‘Celebrity Aspect’
Reflecting on his breakout role, Penn Badgley opens up about the toxic glamor of Gossip Girl and how it shaped his relationship with fame.
While Gossip Girl catapulted Penn Badgley into stardom as the brooding outsider Dan Humphrey, the actor now admits the experience wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In a candid new interview, Badgley unpacks the impact of the show's glossy, image-driven world—and reveals why he doesn't long for the celebrity culture it brought with it.
Speaking with The Guardian, Badgley didn't hold back in calling out the "superficial celebrity aspect" of his time on the CW teen drama, which aired from 2007 to 2012. "What was that show other than aesthetic? That was its thing, the way we all looked," he said, acknowledging that the series thrived more on image than substance.
"I didn't particularly love the superficial celebrity aspect of the way I was perceived," he added. Badgley reflected on how his early career forced him into a world that equated appearance with value. Coming out of depression and isolation, he said he felt both drawn to and trapped by the industry's focus on conventional beauty.
"There's no way to get past the superficiality of this work, and if you recognize that, you can't help but recognize the superficiality of our culture," he shared.
Badgley also revealed that he dealt with body dysmorphia as a child, which made the pressure to conform to Hollywood ideals even more intense. Aspiring to look like the classic actors he admired "just seemed like an impossibility," he admitted.
Gossip Girl, based on the novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, followed a group of privileged teens navigating life on Manhattan's Upper East Side, with Badgley's Dan Humphrey serving as the outsider who infiltrated the elite social circle. Though the 2021 Max reboot referenced Dan and Serena (Blake Lively), neither original star returned to reprise their roles.
Though Gossip Girl remains a pop culture staple, Badgley's reflections peel back the glittering façade to reveal the emotional toll of life in the spotlight. As he continues to thrive in darker, more complex roles like Joe Goldberg in You, Badgley has clearly chosen depth over decoration—and found peace outside the confines of celebrity spectacle.
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