Penn Badgley reflects on feeling ‘dark undercurrent’ during final years of ‘Gossip Girl’

Penn Badgley reflected on his experience of handling Gossip Girl fame in his latest interview with Variety.

Badgley, who is currently starring in Netflix series You season four, briefly spoke about his romance with Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively.

The Easy A star described his time on the show was “fun and fast-paced” but adds that there was a “dark undercurrent that would bottom out in my later 20s.”

Badgely was asked he was referring to substance abuse, he insisted, “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.”

Badgley played Dan Humphrey in the show alongside Lively, who starred as Serena van der Woodsen.

The Stepfather actor admitted that he did have his struggles though, sharing how “he sought solace from all corners: by travelling, exploring Buddhism, trying ‘a lot of physical techniques, from breathing to meditation,’ and throwing himself into political causes, such as Occupy Wall Street.”

“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,” Badgely said.

Badgley and Lively dated from 2007 to 2010.