Which actor plays Joe Goldberg in the Netflix series 'You'?

Penn Badgley plays Joe Goldberg in the Netflix series 'You'. Badgley portrays the character as a charming but dangerous bookstore worker whose apparent romantic interest repeatedly develops into stalking, manipulation and murder.

Joe first appears working at Mooney’s bookstore in New York City, where he becomes obsessed with aspiring writer Guinevere Beck. His internal narration lets viewers hear the rationalizations behind his behavior, creating the show’s central tension: Joe believes he is protecting or loving people even while violating their privacy and destroying their lives.

The role became closely associated with Badgley, who had previously been known for playing Dan Humphrey on 'Gossip Girl'. That connection can cause confusion, especially because Dan Humphrey is one of the listed distractors, but he is a different character from a different series. 'You' is based on Caroline Kepnes’s novels and was developed for television by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble.