PENN BADGELY IS 'GOSSIP' GUY
SURPRISE! FIRST STAR TO BREAK OUT OF 'GOSSIP GIRL' IS. . .
(By Maxine Shen)
As illogical as it may seem, the breakout star of the CW's new series "Gossip Girl" is not a girl at all.
Actually, it's a guy - Penn Badgley.
"He's very smart and cute, he's totally the Adam Brody of 'Gossip Girl,' " says fan Christine Yi Dameron of Manhattan. "Plus, there's something about his facial expressions - he has a really goofy, adorable smile."
It's a sentiment the editors at the teen magazines are picking up on quickly.
"He has this subtle sense of humor and a sly little smile that really appeals to pretty much everyone," says Danielle Nussbaum, Teen Vogue's senior entertainment editor.
"All the guys on the show are great, but Penn's extremely charming and humble and that manifests itself really well in his cool and laid-back character - that cool, awkward and culturally-polished Williamsburg guy that you just want to hug," she says.
The single 20-year-old - who'll be celebrating his birthday next week with a weekend trip to Las Vegas - plays Dan Humphrey (a.k.a. "Lonelyguy"), the Brooklyn-dwelling moral compass for the show's privileged, prep school kids.
Dan is in love with reformed (maybe) party girl Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively, who many thought would be the Mischa Barton-type star to emerge from "GG."
Instead, it seems that Badgley is the one who has finally found his perfect moment to shine.
"He's been acting for so long, but he hasn't really found that role that people can really relate to until now," says CosmoGirl! entertainment editor Rachel Chang. "Everyone wants Dan to be their big brother, their friend or their boyfriend - he's appealing in every way - and that translates to Penn too."
Badgley admits that the idea of being the show's first break-out star isn't a total surprise. But he quickly adds: "It's only because I'm on this show.
"It's a great cast all around," he says. "In a lot of teen soap operas, you have a lot of pretty faces and maybe not a lot of talent, but I really do feel that there isn't a weak link in the 'Gossip Girl' cast."
No stranger to network TV, Badgley feels like the grizzled veteran of the cast.
He's been on four different series in an eight-year-career.
He came to some fame as the lead in the short-lived, time-travel comedy "Do Over," was recast in a family drama, "The Mountain," also quickly forgetten, and in last year's controversial sex-ed show, "The Bedford Diaries," with Matthew Modine.
All the series were on the WB, the young-appeal predecessor network to the CW.
"They've been grooming him to be a teen star for so long now - some of the characters he's played in the past were a little bit more dorky, but he's grown into his own in this role and this is his moment," says Chang.
Strangely enough, Badgley says that he didn't realize that the CW network was schooling him for success until he got the "Gossip Girl" role.
"It definitely felt like, 'What can we put Penn in this year because we want to keep him working for us?' " he says, remarking that it's a "very positive feeling" to be wanted this way.
"There was a time when I felt a little cheesy, doing WB show after WB show - like it was repetitive.
"But I'm definitely grateful for the opportunity they've given me and now that I'm on 'Gossip Girl,' I wouldn't have it any other way."
Source: NY Post
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