Penn Badgley

Badgley's first credit was voice work for the video games Mario Golf 64 and Mario Tennis 64 in 1999 and 2000.[10] His first screen acting credit was on an episode of Will & Grace and he subsequently appeared on shows such as Daddio, The Brothers García, and What I Like About You.[12] His first noticeable role was as Phillip Chancellor IV on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, from 2000 to 2001. He was nominated for a 2001 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime Series for his work.[13]

In 2002, he starred in The WB's comedy-drama series Do Over as Joel Larsen, a 34-year-old man who gets a second chance to get his life right, thanks to a freakish accident that catapults him back to 1980, as a 14-year-old. Badgley went on to star in two other WB series: The Mountain (2004–2005) and The Bedford Diaries (2006).[12] Badgley's first major film credit was 2006's John Tucker Must Die, playing the role of Scott Tucker.[14] In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $14.3 million, ranking third in the US box office results for that weekend.[15] Badgley later appeared in Drive-Thru, co-starring future castmate Leighton Meester.[16]

Badgley at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2007, Badgley was cast in The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl as Dan Humphrey, based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. He initially turned down the role, but accepted after the producers struggled finding someone to fill the role.[17] In 2009, he starred in thriller film The Stepfather, a remake of the 1987 film, as the stepson of the serial killer.[18] Badgley then played Todd, the love interest of Emma Stone's character, in the teen comedy film Easy A (2010).

In 2011, he was named one of People's "25 Beauties (and Hotties) at 25"[19] and BuddyTV ranked him number 75 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2011" list.[20] He also appeared in the financial thriller drama Margin Call (2011).[21] In late June of that year, Badgley reportedly would portray Jeff Buckley in Greetings from Tim Buckley. The movie follows the journey Jeff Buckley took in grappling with the legacy of his late musician father, Tim, leading up to and culminating with his 1991 performance of his father's songs.[22] For the role, Badgley said he took guitar and vocal lessons.[23] Badgley joined the cast of Parts per Billion in December 2012, opposite Alexis Bledel and Teresa Palmer.[24] The film was released in 2014.[25]

Badgley joined the cast of the 2013 adaptation of Cymbeline as the orphan Posthumus.[26] In early 2014, Badgley and bandmates released a song titled "Easy" on SoundCloud under the name M O T H E R; the song quickly gained popularity and was posted on numerous blogs.[27] Months later, the band changed the spelling to MOTHXR, citing a cease-and-desist from another band with a similar name.[28] In 2015, the band signed with the labels Kitsuné and Washington Square Music, the New York City-based subdivision of the Razor & Tie label.[29] The band has supported acts such as Streets of Laredo, San Cisco, Sir Sly, Har Mar Superstar, The Neighbourhood, and Miami Horror. MOTHXR's debut album, Centerfold, was released February 26, 2016.[30]

Badgley had a recurring role in NBC's 2015 miniseries The Slap, based upon the Australian series of the same name.[31] He had a minor role in Adam Green's Aladdin[32] and starred in Lifetime's former television adaptation of You as Joe Goldberg, which premiered on September 9, 2018.[33][34][35] On December 3, 2018, it was announced that You would move to Netflix as a "Netflix Original" title, ahead of the premiere of the second season.[36] The second season was released on Netflix on December 26, 2019.[37] On January 14, 2020, You was renewed for a third season by Netflix.[38] The third season is scheduled for release sometime in 2021.[39][40]

In October 2019, it was announced Badgley had joined the cast of Here Today, opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish.[41]

Badgley began a search for spirituality in 2010, while shooting an early season of Gossip Girl. In an interview with Shadi Toloui-Wallace, Penn describes how the BP oil spill prompted his exploration into the connection between justice and spirituality, and led him to the rainforests of Colombia and the teaching of Baháʼu'lláh and the Baháʼí Faith.[50] In the interview, Badgley shares how Baha’u’llah's "The Seven Valleys", and Baha’i faith's "The Promise of World Peace" were important in his spiritual pursuits.[50] Badgley has been a member of the Baha'i Faith since 2015 and is an outspoken activist against the persecution of Baháʼís by Iran.[51]

Badgely dated Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively from 2007 to 2010,[52] and actress Zoë Kravitz from 2011 to 2013.[53][54]

Badgley began dating singer Domino Kirke in 2014.[55] Badgley married Kirke in a New York courthouse on February 27, 2017.[56] He is the stepfather of Kirke's son, Cassius.[57] In February 2020, Kirke and Badgley announced they were expecting their first child together, after suffering two miscarriages. Their son was born in August 2020.[58][59]

• Centerfold (2016)