Penn Badgley has already become a global star after appearing in Netflix’s hit series, You. But his actual rise to fame happened in 2007 when he bagged the role of Dan Humphrey in the CW/HBO Max teen drama series Gossip Girl. Badgley was shot to overnight stardom after Gossip Girl and garnered unprecedented attention when he began dating his co-star Blake Lively. He was flooded with offers for movies and TV shows and even got multiple Teen Choice Awards Nominations.

After starring in Gossip Girl, Penn Badgley bagged roles in movies like The Stepfather, Easy A, Margin Call, etc., for which he received multiple accolades, including numerous Teen Choice Award nominations and an Independent Spirit Award.

Penn’s Journey From Seattle To LA

Penn Badgley was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington. Since childhood, Badgley was involved with the Seattle Children’s Theatre and the Pine Nut Players community theater in Monroe, Washington. His mother supported and encouraged his affinity for acting. After his parents’ divorce, his mother made ends meet by working several jobs and supporting Badgley’s acting career.

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At just 11, Penn Badgley persuaded his mother to move to LA to nourish his acting career, as reported by MamaMia. Upon reaching LA, he started doing voice-overs for children’s radio stations in Hollywood. Badgley eventually made his TV debut in an episode of the 1999 show Will & Grace and made his movie debut in the 2000 movie The Fluffer, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The Almost-Missed ‘Gossip Girl’ Opportunity

The turning point of Penn Badgley’s career came in 2007 after he was roped in to play the role of Dan Humphrey in The CW’s teen drama series Gossip Girl. He nailed the part of an aspiring writer, Dan Humphrey, and became an instant hit among the masses and critics alike. He reprised his role in all 6 seasons of Gossip Girl and earned nominations for six Teen Choice Awards in the category of Choice TV Actor: Drama.

Penn Badgley made a massive fanbase for himself while playing Dan Humphrey, but little did anyone know that he almost missed out on playing this part. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the casting director of Gossip Girl, David Rapaport, revealed that he initially had Alden Ehrenreich to play the role of Dan Humphrey. Still, he was too short to star opposite Blake Lively, so they had to go with Badgley. Badgley turned down the role initially but eventually accepted the part when the producers could not find anyone better, thus saving the fans from the unimaginable fate of watching someone else as Dan Humphrey.

How Gossip Girl Opened A Floodgate Of Opportunities For Badgley 

Gossip Girl was an instant hit and became a cultural phenomenon. The cast of the whole show achieved unprecedented stardom, and Penn Badgley became the internet’s boyfriend, as reported by Variety. Critics highly appreciated Badgley’s obnoxious take on the character of Dan Humphrey. In 2009 he bagged a role in The Stepfather, playing the part of the son of a serial killer, and went on to get nominated for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller in the Teen Choice Awards.

Badgley then starred opposite Emma Stone in the 2010 movie Easy A, which became a huge critical and financial success grossing $75 Million worldwide. Badgley got yet another Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy. His career kept booming, and he starred in another critically acclaimed movie, Margin Call, in 2011, winning his first and only Independent Spirit Award. Badgley continued his journey toward the pinnacle of success with movies like Greetings from Tim Buckley, Cymbeline, and The Paper Store, for which he won the Best Actor Awards at the Oxford and Manchester Film Festivals.

In 2018, Penn Badgley bagged the role of Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s hit show, You. The show was a phenomenal success worldwide, becoming the No.1 show in multiple countries and launching Badgley to global stardom. His role as the psychopathic obsessor and killer garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, calling it his Best Performance. He has been nominated for several awards, including the MTV Movie Awards and Saturn Awards, for his role as the murderous psychopath. Badgley has since become a show producer and directed one of the episodes. He is at the peak of his career right now with an impressive net worth of $8 Million, as per Wealthy Gorilla. In 2021 Badgley bought himself a luxurious $1.825 million abode in Brooklyn.

Penn Badgley has become a Global Celebrity today due to his incredible acting prowess and sheer will. He, along with the support of his mother, started his acting career and shot to overnight fame after starring in Gossip Girl, which catapulted his acting career to new heights. After his critically acclaimed role in Gossip Girl, Badgley became a sought-after actor and starred in several commercially and critically successful projects. He was most recently seen in the fourth season of the superhit TV show You.

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Source: Wealthy Gorilla, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, MamaMia

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