Who is Joe Goldberg in You?

You is a superhit American psychological thriller show based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes. It was made by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble and released on December 26, 2019, on Netflix. The show had 4 seasons and 40 episodes, the 5th season is set to release on April 24, 2025. The cast of the show includes Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Charlotte Ritchie, Elizabeth Lail, Luca Padovan, Shay Mitchell, and Jenna Ortega.

The show follows the story of a man named Joe Goldberg and his dangerous obsession with love. Each season takes viewers deeper into Joe’s dark and twisted mind. The show explores themes like obsession, privacy, and identity, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking. Over the seasons, You has been shot in different cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London. Let's take a look at Joe Goldberg's character and the actor who plays him.

Who is Joe Goldberg in You?

Joe Goldberg is the main character of the show, You. He works in bookstores and libraries, as he loves books and literature. On the outside, Joe seems like a nice, quiet, and intelligent man. He often appears helpful and kind. However, deep inside, he struggles with dark thoughts and toxic behavior. Joe believes in love, but he goes to extreme ends to get close to the people he becomes obsessed with. He spies on them, follows them, and even harms others to remove anyone who gets in his way. During the show, Joe falls in love many times, but each relationship ends in chaos.

He often tells himself that he wants to protect and care for the person he loves, but he crosses boundaries. He becomes a controlling, jealous, and violent person. Joe’s pattern includes lying, manipulation, and sometimes even committing murder. In every new season, he wants to start over and become a better man. He tries to hide his past and blend into a new city or life, but his dark urges always return. Even though he is the main character, he is not a hero.

In an interview with InStyle, Penn Badgley, who plays Joe on the show, shared his view about the character. He said, "I am the least forgiving person in the world with Joe." He further described Joe as "a person with deep narcissistic personality disorder and sociopathy." He added, "He's clearly, to me, not a good husband. He's not a good father, but the ways that he's trying, I think, are universal. His fear is probably pretty universal, [but] how he goes about responding to all that is so terrible, obviously."

Who plays Joe Goldberg in You?

Penn Badgley plays the role of Joe Goldberg in the show. He is an American actor, born on November 1, 1986, in Baltimore, Maryland. He started acting at a young age and appeared in many TV shows and films before landing big roles. He was just 11 when his family moved to LA for his career, and he did voice-overs at children’s radio stations. He is also a musician and is the lead singer of a band called MOTHXR. He made his acting debut with the show Will & Grace (1999). He gained popularity for his role as Dan Humphrey on the hit show Gossip Girl (2007–2012).

His other known works include The Young and the Restless (2000–2001), John Tucker Must Die (2006), Easy A (2010), The Stepfather (2009), Margin Call (2011), Greetings from Tim Buckley (2012), and The Paper Store (2016). In You, Penn takes on a much darker and more complex role. His performance is a key reason for the show's success. In an interview with Variety, he shared his future plans.

He said, “And I didn’t do it with anything other than the pipe dreams of being a producer or a director or writer. Now I’m in the DGA, and I’m a producer on the podcast and have the rights to a Sedaris story… .” He further added, “If this is how I’m going to exist in a way that for me is sustainable — emotionally and spiritually and psychologically — then this is how I’m gonna do it.”