What you need to know
Penn Badgley is getting candid about fame and celebrity culture.
Speaking with Zibby Owens on the Nov. 17 episode of his podcast Totally Booked with Zibby, the 39-year-old actor discussed his new collection of essays, “Crushed More: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming of Age,” which he wrote with Pod Crushed co-hosts Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari.
This collection of essays follows the trio’s experiences growing up at every stage of their lives. Mr. Badgley told Mr. Owens that he wrote about his experience in achieving fame in order to “make the process transparent.”
“I wanted to, and I intended to, write more specifically about what fame is, what fame is, or at least what my experience is,” actor Yu explained. “It’s not just a big part of celebrities’ lives; it’s a big part of everyone’s lives. Our culture is so inextricably intertwined and obsessed with celebrity.”
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He explained that sharing his own experiences is one way to give readers a more nuanced view of fame, especially in the face of criticism and commentary.
“I think we should hear more from famous people, because it gives us a bigger pie of experience,” Badgley continued. “It gives us that feeling of, ‘Okay, let’s look at this from every angle.’ I think the weird thing about celebrity is that at its worst, it can really cloud the vision of the person suffering underneath.”
And Badgley pointed out that fame isn’t just part of his identity, it’s a big part of it.
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“It affected my life as much as anything else,” Badgley said. “As a father, as a man, and ultimately in my late 20s, I became a Baha’i, my faith, my religion.”
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“Thank God, when I die, the celebrities will leave,” he added. “Until then, as long as my celebrity lasts, it will be a big part of my life.”
Badgley also touched on how Crushmore ties in with the original message of the PodCrushed podcast, which explores glorious youth through stories and celebrity interviews.
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“I actually had a lot of conversations with my editor about what to do with that subtitle so people would understand what the book was about,” Badgley said of the book. “That’s true. Love and loss are universal, and I wish it had universal appeal and intrigue.”
Crushmore: Essays on Love, Loss and Coming-of-age is available now wherever books are sold.
