Penn Badgley Says It Was a ‘Struggle’ to ‘Differentiate’ Himself From His ‘Gossip Girl’ Character: ‘I Didn’t Have the Emotional Maturity’

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In the years following the finale of “Gossip Girl” on The CW, it proved challenging for me, Penn Badgley, to bid farewell to my beloved character, Dan Humphrey. After all, he was a significant part of my professional journey and had become deeply ingrained in the hearts of many viewers. Yet, stepping into new roles and exploring fresh stories has been both exciting and rewarding, much like uncovering the secrets of Manhattan’s elite with Dan by my side.

During his latest interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Badgley confessed that leaving behind the character he played for six seasons in the popular series was not an easy transition for him.

I found it challenging,” I admitted. “Filming a movie is a one-time event where you pour all your energy into it, and then it’s done. On the other hand, working on a TV series is a continuous endeavor due to its recurring nature.”

Or, more informally:

“It was tough,” I confessed. “Making a movie means giving it your best shot just once, and then it’s over. But with a TV show, you’re always in the thick of things because it keeps going.

He went on to say, “At that time, I was around 20 to 22 years old, which meant I lacked the emotional maturity necessary to discern my value apart from others’ perceptions. To me, how others viewed Dan was essentially how they saw me.

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit that the celebrity-obsessed culture of the late 2000s significantly impacted my experience during the height of “Gossip Girl.” Being the star of the hit show, I found myself inundated with questions about my personal life. This persistent inquiry made me often feel as if I was constantly under scrutiny, needing to validate or prove myself, always questioning, “What is it that I’m truly contributing if not this?

For six years, from 2007 to 2012, the TV series titled “Gossip Girl” unfolded across 121 episodes. Featuring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle, and Jessica Szohr in lead roles, this show delved into the lives of a wealthy New York City teenage crowd whose secretive escapades were frequently stirred up by an unidentified blogger who went only by Gossip Girl.

In the last episode of the series titled “New York, I Love You XOXO,” it’s uncovered that Dan Humphrey, played by Badgley, was actually the mysterious Gossip Girl. He started the blog due to feeling ostracized from the elite circle as an outcast.

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2025-04-24 05:16