After publicly vowing to avoid sex scenes, Penn Badgley has officially walked back on that commitment — and he’s doing it in character as Netflix’s most charming yet chilling fictional murderer, Joe Goldberg. The You star, now 38, revealed in an exclusive interview that he “had to throw that out the window” for the final season of the hit thriller series.
Premiering on Netflix on April 24, You season 5 finds Joe back in New York, married to billionaire Kate Lockwood (played by Charlotte Ritchie), and attempting to live a life of truth — or at least one more aligned with his twisted version of honesty. But despite his attempts to reform, fans quickly noticed a jarring return to form: Joe’s infamous seductive tendencies are back in play, with full-on intimacy scenes that Badgley had previously said he was done with.
“That was the question again: ‘All right, what am I willing to do?’” Badgley told PEOPLE. “And as I always said, my desire is that [it’s] least as possible. But if it’s necessary — that’s the show we all signed up to make. So, let’s make sure it’s vital, important, and deliberate. And we did.”
Joe Goldberg’s Final Temptation: Enter Bronte
One of the key storylines this season centers around a new character, Bronte, played by The Handmaid’s Tale’s Madeline Brewer. Introduced as a quirky, literature-loving playwright and bookstore employee, Bronte becomes Joe’s latest obsession — and eventual affair partner. Their steamy relationship is not just a return to the show’s earlier seasons in tone but also in theme.
The twist? Bronte isn’t just another love interest. She has her own hidden agenda: revenge. Believing Joe was responsible for the death of her former TA, Guinevere Beck (a character from Season 1 played by Elizabeth Lail), Bronte initially gets close to uncover the truth. But, in a classic You twist, she unexpectedly falls for Joe, complicating her mission.
From Villain to Romantic Antihero (Again)
Badgley acknowledges the decision to portray Joe as a “romantic icon” again was a conscious choice — a return to the show’s roots where his predatory charm was masked by poetic introspection and a sense of misplaced morality.
“He’s been presented as this guy who thinks he’s doing the right thing, ridding the world of assholes,” Badgley said. “But that blurred moral line — that’s part of what makes the character both revolting and compelling.”
Despite the darkness of the character, Badgley admits he’ll miss playing Joe.
“He’s not a real person, but he’s been a profound experience for me. I took the role at 30, and I’ll be 39 this year. It’s been nearly a decade of my life.”
Penn Badgley’s Personal Journey Mirrors the Character’s Arc
While filming You, Badgley experienced major milestones: he got married, became a father, and matured both personally and professionally. Playing Joe, he says, taught him valuable lessons — not in morality, but in self-awareness.
“Joe taught me a lot about what it means to be a man — by showing me what it is not,” Badgley noted. “It’s not just ‘don’t murder people,’ obviously, but deeper than that — it’s about empathy, honesty, and responsibility.”
A Controversial End to a Controversial Series
The final season of You has already sparked debate among fans and critics. While some praise its full-circle storytelling and callbacks to early seasons, others — including The Guardian — criticize it for being bloated, inconsistent, and even “borderline insulting” in its ending.
Still, there’s no denying the cultural impact of You, or the way Penn Badgley has carried its dark, seductive narrative across five seasons.
All ten episodes of You Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
