Penn Badgley Enjoys Filming His Scenes With Victoria Pedretti The Most On You
Contains spoilers for "You" Season 4, Part 2
Throughout the four-season run of "You," Joe has had a surplus of supporting characters around him as the series continues to deliver scary moments. "You" Season 4 changed things up a bit, taking everyone's favorite murderer across the pond to gloomy London and giving him a much different cast of characters to disturb his peace. While the season puts an exciting spin on the show, plopping Joe in the middle of an upper-class murder mystery, there's a noticeable absence of one of his former flames: Love Quinn.
"You" first introduced Love (Victoria Pedretti) in Season 2, as she and Joe quickly fall in love after the latter moves to Los Angeles. It didn't take long for Love to become a fan favorite on the show, with Pedretti delivering an incredible performance that Netflix viewers have come to expect when she pops up in their favorite shows. She and Badgley's on-screen chemistry was palpable, showcasing a genuine relationship that ended, in typical "You" fashion, with murder.
When the series reconnects fans with Joe in Season 4, he's still trying to get over how his and Love's relationship ended. Although Pedretti doesn't return (besides a brief ghost-like cameo), she leaves a lasting impression on both Joe and "You" as a whole. It seems that influence spread into the real world, as Badgley still misses acting alongside Pedretti.
Penn Badgley was inspired by Victoria Pedretti on the set
Penn Badgley and his fellow podcast hosts recently released a bonus episode of "Podcrushed," breaking down all of "You" Season 4 Part 2, which hit Netflix this week. During the interview, the actor revealed that Victoria Pedretti, who played Love, is his favorite person to work with on the show.
Badgley began by saying, "What Victoria does and has as a person, as a creative person, as an actor, she's exceedingly committed, and her character is also designed in a way that she's an equal." He explained how Pedretti brought out the most in Joe, saying, "I was able to do more in scenes with Love. I think because when he's angry with her, the real him is coming through. There's no veil there. So, as an actor, I actually think the way I'm able to play Joe when he's in a scene with Love is by design different. And then Victoria's commitment and talent on top of that, to that role, just unlocks it."
"You" usually utilizes Joe's inner monologue, as he hides information from other characters, but he can't do that with Love because she fundamentally understands him. When describing those scenes, Badgley said, "I'm actually thinking less. I'm doing more. So I've always enjoyed scenes with her the most because they do give me the most to do."
Badgley clearly has a lot of admiration for Pedretti, and thankfully the feelings seem to be mutual. When the actress joined "Podcrushed," she credited Badgley for inspiring her performance as Love. She told the hosts that she wanted to match the actor's energy when she joined "You," praising him for making a character that is "insane and yet sympathetic."