Penn Badgley Explains the Challenges of Separating from His 'Gossip Girl' Character
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Synopsis
Actor Penn Badgley discusses the difficulties he faced in moving on from his iconic role as Dan Humphrey in 'Gossip Girl' after the series ended. He reflects on the impact of celebrity culture and the struggle to define his self-worth beyond his character's popularity.
Key Takeaways
- Penn Badgley found it hard to move on from Dan Humphrey.
- He struggled with self-worth linked to his character.
- The late 2000s celebrity culture added pressure.
- 'Gossip Girl' ran for 121 episodes from 2007 to 2012.
- Badgley rose to fame on 'The Young and the Restless.'
Los Angeles, April 24 (NationPress) For actor Penn Badgley, it was challenging to depart from his Gossip Girl character Dan Humphrey after the series wrapped up in 2012.
In a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Badgley expressed that it was tough to move on from the role following his six-season stint in the acclaimed series.
"It was a struggle," Badgley shared, according to variety.com.
"When you do a film, you perform once and give it everything, then you advance… When you're part of a television show, you're consistently involved due to the nature of the format."
He continued: "I was 20, 21, 22, so I lacked the emotional maturity to grasp how to distinguish myself regarding self-worth. What others perceived of Dan seemed to equate to how they viewed me."
Badgley also mentioned that the celebrity culture in the late 2000s exacerbated the situation.
During the height of Gossip Girl, the You star revealed he was incessantly questioned about his romantic life, leading him to feel as though, "you’re perpetually required to validate yourself in some way; otherwise, what are you doing?"
Gossip Girl aired for 121 episodes from 2007 to 2012. Featuring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle, and Jessica Szohr, the series depicted a group of affluent New York teenagers whose scandalous lifestyles were repeatedly interrupted by an anonymous blogger known as Gossip Girl.
In the series finale, "New York, I Love You XOXO," Badgley’s character Dan Humphrey is revealed to be the infamous Gossip Girl, citing his outsider status among the elite as the motivation for launching the blog.
Badgley initially gained fame portraying Phillip Chancellor IV on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
He has appeared in comedy films such as John Tucker Must Die, Drive-Thru, and Easy A, thriller films including The Stepfather and Margin Call, the biographical film Greetings from Tim Buckley, as well as the drama film The Paper Store.
