<p>Penn Badgley is now famous for his role as <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-fans-say-done-romanticizing-penn-badgleys-joe-goldberg-season-4-finale.html/”>romantic serial killer Joe</a> on Netflix’s <em>You</em>. But before that, the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/actors/”>actor</a> played a lot of high-school characters — something Badgley recently said he was way too old to be doing. </p>
<h2>Penn Badgley starred in teen shows and movies like ‘Easy A’ and ‘Gossip Girl’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” width=”1200″ height=”800″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?strip=all&quality=95″ alt=”penn badgley easy a” class=”wp-image-3435673″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?w=640&h=427 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?w=768&h=512 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?w=1024&h=683 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/penn-badgley-easy-a.jpg?w=90&h=60 90w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Penn Badgley (L) and Emma Stone in the FOX Presents network theatrical premiere of ‘Easy A,’ airing Friday, May 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. | FOX Image Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p>Badgley started acting when he was just 11 years old, appearing in shows like <em>What I Like About You</em>, <em>The Young and the Restless</em>, and <em>Do Over</em>. The actor also starred in movies like <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/penn-badgley-embarrassed-himself-front-chad-michael-murray-john-tucker-must-die-cast.html/”>John Tucker Must Die</a> </em>and <em>Drive-Thru</em>. </p>
<p>His big break came in 2007, when he began starring as <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gossip-girl-revealed-dan-humphrey-identity-in-episode-1.html/”>Dan Humphrey</a> in the CW’s teen soap opera <em>Gossip Girl</em>. The show made Badgley a heartthrob and household name, which led to bigger and better roles. </p>
<h2>Why Penn Badgley said he was ‘criminally old’ in ‘Easy A’</h2>
<p>In 2010, Badgley was cast opposite <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/emma-stone/”>Emma Stone</a> in <em>Easy A</em>, a high school comedy about a high school girl who starts pretending to hook up with guys. Things quickly spin hilariously out of control as everyone tries to unravel what’s true and what’s false. </p>
<p>In a recent “Autocomplete” interview for <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8g8uVBUtQU”>WIRED</a>, Badgley discussed his time working on <em>Easy A</em>; more specifically, how old he was during the film’s production. </p>
<p>“Older than high school,” the actor laughed. “Criminally old to be playing a high schooler.” Badgley guessed that he was “22, at least” during filming, but he was “lifting more weights then.” The actor filmed <em>Easy A</em> in the summer of 2009, meaning he was, in fact, 22 at the time.</p>
<h2>Penn Badgley said he ‘love[d]’ the comedy in ‘Easy A’</h2>
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<div class=”jetpack-video-wrapper”><iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Easy A #8 Movie CLIP – A Woodchuck Mascot (2010) HD” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/LUV0AjnjaT4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<p><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/emma-stone-concerned-easy-a-glorified-promiscuity.html/”><em>Easy A</em></a><em> </em>premiered in 2010, and the movie made Badgley an even bigger success with the teenage crowd. It went on to gross $75 million worldwide and win the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy. </p>
<p>The <em>Gossip Girl </em>star has only positive things to say about his time on set working on <em>Easy A</em>. He told <a href=”https://collider.com/penn-badgley-interview-easy-a-margin-call-gossip-girl/”>Collider</a> his role was written “very well” and was “refreshing” to see in a high school comedy. </p>
<p>“I personally love that kind of comedy,” Badgley said of <em>Easy A</em>. “It’s a bit of a heightened reality obviously because life isn’t always that funny, but it’s real. It has a certain looseness to it. I would look forward to getting a chance to do that kind of stuff a lot more.”</p>
<h2 id=”h-what-is-penn-badgley-doing-today”>What is Penn Badgley doing today?</h2>
<p>Following the massive success of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gossip-girl-penn-badgley-thinks-dan-and-blair-should-have-ended-up-together.html/”><em>Gossip Girl</em></a><em> </em>and teen movies like <em>John Tucker Must Die </em>and <em>Easy A</em>, Badgley starred in more dramatic movies and shows, like <em>Margin Call</em>, <em>Greetings from Tim Buckley</em>, <em>The Slap</em>, and <em>Cymbeline</em>. </p>
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<div class=”jetpack-video-wrapper”><iframe loading=”lazy” title=”From Gossip Girl to YOU, Penn Badgley’s Road To Netflix” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ymR91vZmUM?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-penn-badgley-thinks-season-5-end-netflix-show.html/”>
‘You’: Penn Badgley Thinks Season 5 Will Be the End of the Netflix Show </a>
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<p>In 2018, Badgley starred in one of his biggest projects to date: the love-obsessed serial killer Joe Goldberg in <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/netflixs-you-penn-badgley-joe-goldbergs-voiceovers.html/”><em>You</em></a>. The show initially aired on Lifetime as a miniseries. But <em>You </em>found new life — and new fans — after it went to Netflix and the streamer ended up buying the show and putting out new seasons. </p>
<p>The fourth season of <em>You </em>just hit Netflix, with Badgley’s Joe crossing the ocean and settling in England as he continues to try and find love, unsurprisingly racking up a body count along the way. </p>