Penn Badgley reveals how relationship with Blake Lively saved him

Netflix has released the fourth season of You. The lead actor in You, Penn Badgley, talks about his previous relationships and takes viewers down memory lane by recalling his breakthrough performance as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl.

During the Gossip Girl filming, he discusses his on- and off-screen relationship with Blake. The couple dated for almost three years before calling it quits in 2010. Badgley said of the fame he attained at the time that it was “fun and fast-paced with a dark undercurrent that would bottom out in my later 20s.” In ways Blake helped her, he specifically mentioned that he had never struggled with substance use. Blake didn’t drink, and I believe that our friendship helped to save me from from forcing myself to go down that road.

He disclosed that a “spiritual crisis” was the cause of the darkness he felt. Like anyone who has experienced some level of fame and wealth, he said, “I was presented with the universal truth that it not only does not make your life better or easier, it actually can greatly complicate things, and it can make you quite unhappy. Despite the fact that I was dejected, I was never anything close to being suicidal. The actor later discovered happiness in his career and family, which included his wife Domino Kirke, their son James Badgley, 2, and his stepson Cassius Riley, 14. Penn contributed to co-producing You.