Here's why Penn Badgley "Fought to Be as Naked as Possible" in the 'You' series finale

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 11:42 AM ET

The finale of You was absolutely insane and thrilling from beginning to end, and star/executive producer Penn Badgley is opening up about filming that final sequence between Joe Goldberg and this season's love interest (or target), Bronte.

"I actually fought to be as naked as possible in that last sequence because he needed to be as dangerously close to being witnessed finally as a sexual predator that he was," Badgley told PEOPLE. "He needed to be seen in that way to be kind of saying to everybody, is this what you needed to see in order to realize who he is? We withheld it from now, but is this what you need to see? And that's, I think, a really juicy kind of engagement and question with the viewer that we're all a part of."

He continued to explain, "In order to do that, the truth is we really had to return to form with him being a romantic icon."

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Bronte (played by Madeline Brewer) had a secret connection to Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), whom he murdered back in season 1. In this fight/chase sequence, she gets answers, and while Joe thinks he successfully kills her too, she survives and called the police. Joe ends up being arrested and will spend the rest of his life in prison for all of his horrific crimes.

"That's what he is. He can't just be killing and masturbating," the actor commented. "Sorry, not sorry. That's what he does. I didn't write it. I didn't even shoot it!"

Still, he calls the character a "profound experience" for himself, expressing, "He's not a real person. So what have I been doing? I've been engaging in this ... my entire 30s. I was 30 when I took the role. I'm going to be 39 this year. Even though the show, the way it came out, it's actually been closer to seven years. For me, it's like my 30s."

All ten episodes of You season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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