“When I’m playing Joe, I don’t try to rationalise anything”: Penn Badgley and cast on You season four
Everyone’s favourite stalker/murderer Joe Goldberg is back on our screens for the fourth season of You – but all’s changed. He’s now reappeared in our own British capital with a new alias as an English professor. The idea is a fresh start – a new leaf, if you will – but of course that’s sadly out of reach for Joe. He quickly finds himself embroiled in a full-on murder mystery amongst a group of obnoxious UK socialites after a man turns up dead on a kitchen table after a boozy night out.
There’s something satisfying about seeing the tables turned on our Joe: now he is the one being stalked, the one being played with. The wonderfully gravelly inner monologue that is a type of fourth-wall-breaking narration for the audience is put to fabulous use here, as Joe casts his ruthless, cynical eye on each of the rather unlikeable new characters in his midst. Much is made of the clashes in British and UK cultures, here seen through an American lens, with all and sundry sent up, from our unbelievably classist society to the differences between Gen-Z and Millennials and our social media-obsessed culture. There’s a tongue-in-cheek vibe to proceedings as he bemoans the low-brow “whodunnit” style of literature, which he now seems to be living out.
The Upcoming had a whale of a time speaking to the main man, Penn Badgley, who first shot to fame in Gossip Girl, and in whose hands Joe forever treads a line between charismatic, charming and distractingly handsome, all the while being capable of the most despicable of acts. Badgley spoke about the evolution of his character over four seasons, finally having the tables turned on him, and whether he thinks Joe can ever find redemption.
We also had the chance to meet the actors who populate the new London season. Tilly Keeper and Charlotte Ritchie told us about their characters, socialite Lady Phoebe and the brilliantly acerbic-tongued Kate, being fans of the series before joining it, and leaning into the sending up of modern British classist society.
Ed Speelers and Lukas Gage also told us about who they play (Rhys and Adam, respectively), their characters’ relationships with Joe and what it was like working opposite Badgley.
Tati Gabrielle spoke about the narrative arc for her character, Marienne, and her views on representation on-screen.
Amy-Leigh Hickman also shared why she was excited to jump on board with the series and what viewers can expect this time around.
Sarah Bradbury
You season four is released on Netflix on 9th February 2023. Read our review here.
Watch the trailer for You season four here:
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