By co-founding and hosting a podcast about the awkwardness of youth, You star Penn Badgley is drawing on his personal experience with the anxiety of a young person.
From May 18, Penn Badgley, who gained notoriety in Gossip Girl as Dan Humphrey, a shy, awkward adolescent outcast known as Lonely Boy who wished there was a fast-forward button for high school, will play the lead role in Podcrushed.
The 35-year-old actor, who portrays the obsessed killer Joe Goldberg in the Netflix suspense drama You, will narrate a listener-submitted story about that frequently upsetting period in each episode.
Some of them are humorous, some are embarrassing, and some are depressing.
Co-hosts and co-creators Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari then join him to talk with a guest about their own shows.
Also included are Rainn Wilson and Drew Barrymore.
The hosts will provide a soundtrack and animation from the episode online.
Kavelin remarked, “He (Badgley) does an incredible job bringing the narrative to life and I now can’t envision it without him.”
During a Zoom interview from London, where he is filming You, Badgley stated, “I just became really intrigued with the stories.
“When I think back on that time, that was the point at which I relocated to Los Angeles and began pursuing a career as an actor.
“I do find myself thinking back on that time a lot, and the sense of self that I have subsequently gained from the things I have gone through and seen.”
The actor claimed that the wide range of emotions associated with puberty are universal.
Ask someone what their life was like when they were 12 and you’ll receive a reaction, according to Badgley.
You receive no response.
Badgley posted an uncomfortable photo of himself online in a call for entries, noting that he was “approximately two years younger” than other students in his grade.
It was “very unpleasant” for me to look smaller, younger, and less like a “men” than my colleagues.
Regarding the relatability of the program, Ansari remarked, “I feel like everybody has these sort of important moments that happen to them in middle school that wind up becoming shared memories that form who we are for better or worse.”
Penn talking about a first period is incredibly entertaining, and I find that deep voice really intriguing.
According to Badgley, he adores the chance to narrate and loves it “more than I love maybe anything.”
“I guess I would look into that if I could have a full-time profession as a narrator,” he remarked.
He is also conscious about striking a balance between respect and entertainment when telling someone else’s narrative.
He claims to have almost cried when reading some submissions and felt sick to his stomach reading others.
“We never want it to appear as though someone is reading other people’s stories for no apparent reason.
The joy of it, in his words, “is that it’s being narrated in this way, and then I kind of assume a persona each time,” was lot more like that.
These incidents leave a lasting impression on us that goes beyond simple sentiments such, “It was awkward and embarrassing and it made me shudder.
It stands out because they are the kinds of events that help shape your sense of self, which guides every choice you make the rest of your life.
“Those things can grow and evolve, but what’s feasible is essentially determined by the experiences you have or don’t have.”
