Penn Badgley Explains Why He Requested "Zero" Sex Scenes In Season 4 Of 'You'

The charming bookstore manager with a psychopathic streak is back for season 4 in "You," the popular Netflix show starring Penn Badgley, Tatti Gabrielle, Charlotte Ritchie, and Tilly Keeper. This time, Joe finds himself in London, a brand new place for him to be a total creep and perhaps even a murderer. "What would you do for love?" is the tagline of the show, and while the question is meant to come off in a creepy way, it seems as though Penn is answering that question earnestly about his personal love life by telling the producers that he didn't want to do any sex scenes in the newest season of "You."

Penn Badgley Explains Why He Requested "Zero" Sex Scenes in Season 4 of 'You'

In February 2017, Penn married Domino Kirke (sister of "Girls" star Jemima Kirke) and they have one son together, 2-year-old James. The couple is painfully adorable together and are clearly happily married. That's why it is important to Penn to maintain their fidelity and be respectful of their union. He approached Sera Gamble, the creator of "You" and requested that they cut the sex scenes in this most recent season.

On a recent episode of the podcast "Podcrushed," Penn, 36, explained why he wanted to limit how much intimacy was filmed on the show.

"I asked Sera Gamble, [the] creator, 'Can I just do no more intimacy scenes?' This was actually a decision I had made before I took the show," Penn said. "I don't think I've ever mentioned it publicly, but one of the main things is, Do I want to put myself back on a career path where I'm always [the] romantic lead?"

Penn is known for being the romantic heartthrob lead in most shows and movies, such as "Gossip Girl" and "Easy A." But he has his wife to consider now and he doesn't want to do anything on set that might jeopardize their marriage.

"Fidelity in every relationship — especially in a marriage — is important to me," he continued. "It got to a point where [I thought], 'I don't want to do that,' so I said to Sera, like, 'My desire would be zero [intimate scenes], to go from 100 to zero.'"

 He also shared his though process before accepting the lead role in the Netflix show. “Before I took the show, it was a question: Do I have a career if I don’t? Think about every male lead you’ve loved. Are they kissing someone? Are they doing a lot more than that?” he said.

Thankfully, the "You" creators "didn't even bat an eye. Penn says that Gamble was "really glad" that he was honest. "She was sort of almost empowered," he said. "She had a really positive response and they came back with a phenomenal reduction." So you can expect much less sex in this season, at least from Joe and his romantic interest(s).

In December 2019, Penn shared a video and photo of his wife and wrote about his love for her. "Happy birthday, Dom," he said. "A super-brief review of your invisible qualities: A truly radiant soul, you seem to spark alight almost everyone you meet, like a 99% success rate. It’s really impressive, and quite mysterious. You encourage others to be honest, and brave, and gentle, and expansive. Your great capacity for empathy is obvious, something anyone can get warm by like a glowing stove. Your desire to be of service to others is miraculous." While the couple maintains their privacy as much as possible, every once in a while Penn will share a glimpse into their relationship.

You can watch the first half of season 4 of "You" on Netflix now and catch the second half on March 9.