Penn Badgley explains why he fought for Joe to be as "naked as possible" in You season 5 finale Penn Badgley explains why he fought for Joe to be as "naked as possible" in You season 5 finale. Picture: Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images, Netflix By Sam Prance "In order to see this man as a sexual predator, what do you need to see?…Because you know he’s doing it, right?" Listen to this article Loading audio… Penn Badgley has opened up about why it was so important for him to film the You season 5 finale in his underwear.
If you've watched You, you will already be well aware of Joe Goldberg's heinous crimes. Despite the fact that many viewers are attracted to Joe, the character has committed countless horrifying acts. Over five seasons, Joe stalks, abuses and murders multiple victims without ever actually confronting the gravity of his behaviour head on.
And Joe's transgressions don't stop there. We never see Joe sexually assault a character on screen but now Penn has inferred that the character raped victims off screen and the You season 5 finale purposefully alludes to that. Penn Badgley says he gets nauseous filming You’s gory scenes Discussing the final episode with People, Penn said: “I did fight, the one time I’ll ever fight to be in my underwear for a whole sequence, because they really wanted a tank top on him.
And I was like: ‘I feel you, I get you, but he needs to be as close to naked as possible – because he needs to look like he’s about to… I don’t want to say…" Penn then specified: "You know, he’s about to abuse. That he’s about to do the thing to her, not with her but to her, and we need to be as dangerously close to that threshold as possible,’ and everyone was in agreement there.” Expanding on Joe being a sexual predator, Penn told Deadline: "The key is, Joe is not caught in the box. He’s caught in the bedroom, that’s actually where he does his worst work — his manipulation and seduction.
The box is where he’d put anybody but he only puts women in the bedroom, that’s where his most dangerous work is.” He continued: "It was important for him to be seen, finally, as a sexual predator. We never, we purposefully [didn’t show that] – I think the right choice, ultimately. [So] I think [the finale] had a responsibility.” Penn then added: "It was like: ‘In order to see this man as a sexual predator, what do you need to see?
Do you need to see him do it? Is that what it’s going to take?' Because you know he’s doing it, right?
You need to see it? You need to witness it? Like, how graphic do you need us to be for us to understand what he really is?"
He ended by saying: "So, finally, he’s the closest you’ve ever seen him to, like, crossing that threshold, and really in the act of sexual abuse.” Read more about Netflix's You here: Bella Ramsey Paints A Portrait While Answering Questions | The Last Of Us Listen live to Capital, and catch up on any shows you missed, on Global Player.
