Penn Badgley has been vocal about his experiences on the Gossip Girl sets and has emphasized the significant role played by Blake Lively in his life. He has shared that during a spiritual crisis, the actress helped him steer clear of a negative path. Despite the end of their three-year relationship due to the overlap of their personal and professional lives, Badgley continues to hold lively in high regard and credits her with saving him during his lowest career point. As an actor in you, he expresses his gratitude towards her.
Penn Badgley felt miserable during his time at Gossip Girl
In a recent interview with Variety, Penn Badgley disclosed that when he first entered the entertainment industry, he struggled with nihilistic thoughts and depression. Even though he was enjoying his time working on Gossip Girl, earning recognition and financial success, he still felt deeply unhappy and was trapped in a dark place in his life. Badgley went on to say,
“Like anybody who experiences some degree of fame and wealth, I was presented with the universal truth that not only does it not make your life better or easier, it actually can greatly complicate things, and make you quite unhappy. I was never anything that I would define as suicidal at all, but I was certainly in despair,”
However, the actor was eventually able to emerge from that difficult time and regain his mental health. It seems that one person Infofamouspeople who played a crucial role in keeping him afloat during his darkest period was Blake Lively, according to Badgley.
Penn Badgley credits Blake Lively for keeping him afloat during his darkest period
Despite experiencing a spiritual crisis and feeling unhappy for a significant period of time, the actor did not struggle with substance abuse, and he attributes this in part to Blake Lively. Badgley clarified that although he was never suicidal, he was in a continuous state of despair. However, his relationship with Lively at the time prevented him from becoming susceptible to substance abuse or any other severe problems, as he stated:
“To be honest, I never struggled with substance. Blake didn’t drink, and I think our relationship in some ways saved me from forcing myself to go down that road.”
Currently, Penn Badgley has moved past those issues and is in a better mental state, as evidenced by his leading role in the ongoing Netflix show, You. Although Blake Lively and the actor ended their romantic relationship in 2010, they still maintain a close friendship to this day.
Source: Variety