Penn Badgley is known for playing brooding, complex characters—from the dangerously charming Joe Goldberg in You to the iconic loner Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl. But behind the roles and red carpets, Penn recently opened up about something deeply personal: his struggles with body dysmorphia as a child.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the 38-year-old actor got real about how his body image issues began early in life, particularly around the time of his parents’ divorce.
“I know that I hated my body and simply wanted a different one,” Penn shared. He explained that he put on weight during that turbulent time and found himself trapped in a spiral of self-criticism. Like many young people, he was comparing himself to the idealized male bodies he saw on screen—and always felt like he fell short.
Looking back, Penn now recognizes that he was dealing with body dysmorphia, even if he was never formally diagnosed by a doctor. “That just seemed like an impossibility,” he said, referring to his desire to look like the fit, flawless actors he grew up watching.
Becoming an actor himself only added another layer to the issue.
“There was just a period where, coming out of depression and isolation, I was jumping willfully into, but also being thrust into, this world where the more conventionally beautiful I seemed, the more successful I might be, the more value I might have,” he explained.
Penn’s words are a powerful reminder of the pressure young actors—especially men—can face in an industry that often equates worth with appearance. And as he pointed out, it’s not just Hollywood. This obsession with beauty and superficial success runs through our whole culture.
“There’s no way to get past the superficiality of this work, and if you recognize that, you can’t help but recognize the superficiality of our culture, because of the way it rewards this work,” he said.
Though he’s known for playing emotionally intense characters, Penn has always carried himself with a thoughtful, introspective presence in real life—and this interview is no exception. His honesty about his childhood insecurities, and the pressure of navigating fame while dealing with them, adds another layer to how fans view him.
It also opens up space for more conversations around men and body image—something that still doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.
