You star Penn Badgley has shared his experiences with body dysmorphia . The 38-year-old gained acclaim for his portrayal of Joe Goldberg , a cerebral stalker who develops an obsessive fascination with a woman in Netflix ’s record-breaking series. Badgley has commented on his discomfort with the serial killer’s popularity, admitting he found “similarities” within his own psychology.
He first rose to fame as a child actor on Gossip Girl . The actor admitted that he suffered from “body dysmorphia” as a child, which was not diagnosed by doctors or psychologists. “I know that I hated my body and simply wanted a different one,” he told The Guardian.
Badgley said he desperately sought to look like the men he watched in films but “that just seemed like an impossibility”. He said he also began overeating as a response to social isolation and his parents’ divorce. Entering the media industry put his appearance under heightened scrutiny.
“There was just a period where, coming out of depression and isolation, I was jumping wilfully into, but also being thrust into, this world where the more conventionally beautiful I seemed, the more successful I might be, the more value I might have,” he said. “There’s no way to get past the superficiality of this work, and if you recognise that, you can’t help but recognise the superficiality of our culture, because of the way it rewards this work.” Gossip Girl in particular was difficult for this, said the star, as th.
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