“I had like a real-life good body,” the actor complained. “There’s a difference.”

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

"I had like a real-life good body," the actor complained. "There's a difference."

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

EW's editorial guidelines

January 29, 2026 3:05 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Penn Badgley. Credit:

Vivien Killilea/Getty

Penn Badgley channeled his inner Captain America to prepare for his latest role.

The *Gossip Girl* alum has revealed that he took inspiration from a long line of Marvel actors and 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's *You Deserve Each Other*.

"It happened very fast," Badgley told costar Meghann Fahy on the Thursday, Jan. 29 episode of his *Podcrushed* podcast. "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

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.

Penn Badgley reveals birth of identical twins with wife Domino Kirke

Penn Badgley details filming awkward 'You' sex scene that had him 'quaking on all fours'

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

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.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

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 actor Timothy Busfield was also set to appear in the movie, but Amazon MGM announced plans to digitally remove his character after the actor was charged with child 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.**

- Celebrities & Creators

- Entertainment Industry Roles

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Actors”