One You Scene Was Almost Too Embarrassing for Penn Badgley to Film
Coined as the show's most embarrassing scene, You star Penn Badgley recounts which scene it is as well as what went into its creation.
Badgley portrays the eerie and obsessive-compulsive stalker Joe Goldberg. Much humour is drawn from the circumstances of his pastime and how he attempts to circumvent the repercussions.
It seems almost inevitable that a character of his nature would wind up in some questionable situations. That being said, there have been some outright cringe-inducing moments that Joe Goldberg has found himself in. One scene, in particular, was so embarrassing that Penn Badgley had a difficult time holding it together.
It's All Up to the Imagination
Penn opened up about his experience filming the "dream sex" fantasy scene from season 3 on an episode of his own Podcrushed podcast, which featured other You actors talking about their most embarrassing moments on the show.
A lot of the star's discomfort came from the way the production team wanted to have the scene composed. There were certain, at times restrictive, camera angles that were tight and focused on the most vulnerable parts of the actor's body.
The embarrassment of humping the air and riding the camera rig (which often acted as a placeholder for Joe's companion) was enough to turn Badgley off. To add further shame to the occasion, the mere 12 people in the room made up only a fraction of the millions of viewers that would be peering into this unsettling moment.
We get it, sex scenes are always somewhat taboo to those that have to partake in them. But the detail in which it was described by Badgley makes it seem substantially worse than the average scandalous shot. That day on the film set will surely stay with him for quite some time.
All too Cliche
Penn Badgley's scene raises an important question: why must such awkward and unrealistic portrayals of sex retain their spot in the limelight?
Could it be a way to make a quick buck and attract viewers who are willing to put up with their favorite star's distress for the sake of having a peek at them in a compromising position?
In any case, we can proclaim that sex scenes are more than meets the eye, and we must acknowledge the experiences of those subjected to such uncomfortable conditions.