Penn Badgley, best known for his role as Dan Humphrey in hit series Gossip Girl, has opened up about his difficulties separating his real life from his show identity. He opened up about these struggles in an interview while promoting the fifth and final season of his current show, You. Set to premiere on April 24 on Netflix, Badgley’s reflections offer a glimpse into the complexities of growing up in the public eye.
Badgley played the role of Dan Humphrey on the CW’s long-running hit series Gossip Girl — 2007-2012. He played a prep school kid who was in love with Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively. The two actors dated during the early seasons of the show — a romance that lasted until 2010. At 20–22 years old, Badgley was experiencing the harsh spotlight of fame. It made it hard for him to disassociate his actual self from this very famous character he created.
Throughout his interview, Badgley spoke candidly about the impact of public perception on him. He described how the public perception of Dan Humphrey shaped his personal identity. He continued, “In other words, what people thought of Dan was what people thought of me. This murky boundary only exacerbated his sense of failure. Yet as he struggled with his emotional maturity, clarifying what he was personally worth became even more perplexing.
As Badgley suggested, there are natural challenges to staying true to yourself in the public eye. I mean, that’s a good question, too, because it was, it was the fight,” he said. He elaborated on the pressure he felt to prove himself, stating, “You feel like you’re constantly — even though no one may be actually asking you to do this — you feel like you’re constantly needing to prove yourself in some manner. Otherwise, what are you doing?”
The actor addressed the burdensome expectations tied to fame. “No one prepares you for that moment where all of a sudden you have to deliver, and you’re like, Why can’t I just speak in a f
