Penn Badgley was 'consumed' with losing weight for 'maniacal' new character: 'I should have had a Marvel body'

Penn Badgley was 'consumed' with losing weight for 'maniacal' new character: 'I should have had a Marvel body'

Vivien Killilea/Getty

Entertainment Weekly Penn Badgley Vivien Killilea/Getty

Penn Badgleychanneled his inner Captain America to prepare for his latest role.

TheGossip Girlalum has revealed that he took inspiration froma long lineof Marvel actorsand hit the gym to prepare for an upcoming movie. But believe it or not, the role in question didn't require tights, spandex, or any kind of superheroics. Badgley was actually getting buff for his role as Dr. Nicholas Rose in the upcoming adaptation of Sarah Hogle'sYou Deserve Each Other.

"It happened very fast,"  Badgley told costarMeghann Fahyon the Thursday, Jan. 29 episode of hisPodcrushedpodcast. "I signed on right before we had to go [shoot the movie]. I was mostly consumed with losing enough weight, so it just made sense for how maniacal this guy was supposed to be about his body."

He explained, "The way he is written on the page is truly, like, I should have had a shredded eight-pack. I should have had a Marvel body. And I had like a real-life good body, you know what I'm saying? There's a difference."

Penn Badgley filming on the set of 'You Deserve Each Other' in New York City on July 11, 2025 Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Badgley is set to star as dentist Nicholas Rose: a stable, unfailingly polite and all-around perfect man who Fahy's Naomi Westfield is days away from marrying. The problem? Both the bride and groom are enduring a serious case of cold feet after realizing that they actually despise one another. So naturally, they begin competing to sabotage the wedding, in the hopes of having the other call it off.

Quickly losing weight and getting buff for a role was a first for Badgley — and the irony of the project wasn't lost on him. "I never had to lose weight and get kind of ripped for a role, so I was just like, 'Of all things [it is for] a f---ing comedy, of course," he joked.

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Aside from giving Dr. Nicholas the body he deserves, Badgley said he also prepared by putting a lot of thought into the relationship dynamic between the toxic couple.

"It was important to me, like, 'How are we going to make the first 15 pages work so that the rest of it is smooth sailing?'" he recalled. "It's like, 'Why do these two people get together? Why are they so insanely, crazy competitive and won't give up this insane game, which is the engine of the whole comedic device [and] the whole story?'"

Meghann Fahy and Penn Badgley are seen filming 'You Deserve Each Other' in Brooklyn on July 11, 2025 Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

He pointed out that if the story didn't make enough emotional sense from the start, then viewers wouldn't "want to watch past" those opening moments.

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In addition to Fahy and Badgley, the rom-com also stars Natalie Morales, Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Ana Gasteyer, Hope Davis, Delaney Rowe, and Lisa Gilroy. Embattled actorTimothy Busfieldwas also set to appear in the movie, but Amazon MGM announced plansto digitally remove his characterafter the actor was charged withchild sexual abuse. Busfield was playing Bernie, the father of Fahy's character.

You Deserve Each Other, which wrapped filming last year, has yet to announce a release date.

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