You actor Penn Badgley has revealed that he requested fewer sex scenes in the new season of the creepy Netflix show after three seasons of sauciness.
The third series of You really ramped things up in the bedroom when some of Joe and Love's new friends wheeled an entire suitcase full of sex toys into their home, but the show has never been shy about getting explicit.
From the very first season Joe has been getting himself off while stalking women, putting on occasionally underwhelming performances for his partners and enjoying some very detailed fantasies about his latest obsessions.
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In the latest series, however, things are a little less hot and heavy.
The first few episodes of the fourth series arrived on Netflix on 9 February, reintroducing Joe to us as Professor Jonathan Moore, now a resident of London, England.
It comes more than a year after the last series dropped in October 2021, and during that time Badgley had some requests for the creators.
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Speaking on his podcast Podcrushed, the actor explained that he'd gone to writer Sera Gamble and asked: "Can I just do no more intimacy scenes?"
"This is actually a decision I had made before I took the show," he continued. "I don’t think I had ever mentioned it publicly, but one of the main things is like, do I want to put myself back in a career path where I’m just always a romantic lead?"
Referencing his marriage to singer Domino Kirke, the former Gossip Girl star said he wanted to focus on his family while balancing work, saying: "Like, fidelity, in every relationship, and especially my marriage, is important to me. And it just got to that point where I don’t want to do that."
However, Badgley admitted that he wouldn't be able to take Joe's habits from '100 to zero', saying 'you can’t take this aspect out of the DNA of the concept'.
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He acknowledged that he'd 'signed up for this show', but said Gamble was understanding and 'didn’t even bat an eye’ at his response.
"She had a really positive response," Badgley said.
As a result, the fourth season of You was presented with a 'phenomenal reduction' in the saucy scenes - but the trailer for the show alone is enough to prove that Joe's obsessions are just as intense as ever.
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The new series sees the return of Marienne Bellamy, who thought she'd escaped Joe after season three, as well as a host of new unfortunate characters set to cross paths with the stalker in his new home.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film
Emily Brown