Penn Badgley doesn't understand why he ends up playing social media creeps

The 'You' star also couldn't believe Joe Goldberg's baseball cap is an 'adequate disguise' in the hit show

Netflix’s uber-popular psychological thriller starring Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley as the creepy Joe Goldberg has become a favourite for the Twitter and Instagram meme-worlds alike.

https://twitter.com/fsh8ikh/status/1214953117739048966

You’re trying out a different foundation.... it doesn’t match... you think blending it more will help but it isn’t... but you don’t know any better because you haven’t heard of Fenty Beauty...but it’s okay... we can fix that...we can fix...you pic.twitter.com/xekfs91Liq

— Fenty Beauty (@fentybeauty) January 13, 2020

Joe has no chill😂😂😂#NetflixYOU #youmemes #JoeGoldberg #FunniestTweets #funny pic.twitter.com/lQmy5ilvBv

— 1Quil Muzik (@DiTranquil1) January 15, 2020

Haaaaa 👏🏻 facts #you #joegoldberg pic.twitter.com/6GkANCHZgA

— TinyTroll138 (@TTroll138) January 16, 2020

Since the alarmingly binge-worthy series was picked up by the streaming behemoth, You has been catapulted into the cultural zeitgeist, igniting conversations around controversial topics like abuse, social media safety, and white male privilege.

The first season centers on Joe’s pursuit, and subsequent gruesome murder of Guinevere Beck, who is a struggling MFA student and aspiring writer. To fuel his infatuation, he relied on social media to follow her every move, murdering anyone who could potentially interfere with their courtship.

Despite Joe’s despicable behaviour, the internet spawned tweets romanticising his character. Badgley himself was quick to remind everyone that Joe is literally a murderer and not someone deserving of admiration or a fantastical crush.

“It’s always been tongue-in-cheek,” Badgley said of his now-viral responses to the tweets in an interview with InStyle. “Part of the strangeness of the concept for me is exactly why we’re all watching: Why are we making it? Why is it doing so well? These are interesting questions that have something to do with where we are all at, socially."

In season two, Joe, armed with the new identity of Will Bettelheim, relocates to sunny Los Angeles for a fresh start, but soon falls into his old ways when he meets a new love, appropriately named Love.

'You' season 3 is reportedly happening according to Penn Badgley 

During a recent interview, Badgely opened up as to why he has been drawn to roles where he plays a social media creep. "I think I just happened to have found myself in projects like that... it hasn’t been conscious," he said.  "When I first read the pilot script for You, I was really caught between being able to appreciate how that’s an interesting progression of things for me, but also how it’s not."

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7E1CMDh9Qy/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6uBr6rhaju/

As for the all the memes, Badgely revealed that he actually laughed at some of them. "I think the one that made me laugh out loud was the one where I’ve been given nails and hoop earrings," he mused.

https://twitter.com/fsh8ikh/status/1214953117739048966

Joe's baseball cap - used as a disguise in the second season - also recently had many on Twitter in fits. Memes were abound over how a simple cap could be used as an adequate disguise for such a cunning serial stalker.

Anytime Joe puts on a hat, he out here acting like he's Perry the platypus, unrecognizable and shit😭😭😭 #YOUNetlix #JoeGoldberg pic.twitter.com/tqnaVDiIpg

— X I C A ❤️‍🔥 (@XicaTC) January 17, 2020

In response to those calling out Joe's baseball hat an invisibility cloak, Badgley couldn't believe it either. "Trust me, as an actor, I find it very challenging to sometimes suspend my disbelief when you’re forced into a position that is just in the literal sense of the word incredible."

Netflix confirmed last week that You is returning for a third season.

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