“I was never anything but I was certainly in a despair”: Penn Badgley Credits Ex-girlfriend Blake Lively For Saving Him From a Miserable Life

Penn Badgley has been pretty outspoken about his time on the sets of Gossip Girl and has repeatedly stressed the importance of Blake Lively in his life. The actor has revealed how the actress saved himself from descending into the wrong path during his spiritual crisis.

Even though the couple parted ways after three years of dating due to the overlapping of their personal and professional lives, Badgley still carries great respect for his former co-star. The You actor also credited her for saving himself during the lowest point in his career.

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Penn Badgley felt miserable during his time at Gossip Girl

During his recent interview with Variety, Penn Badgley revealed that during his initial days in the industry, the actor was suffering from nihilistic thoughts and depression. And despite having a great time on the sets of Gossip Girl and earning recognition and money, the actor still felt miserable and was drowning in a dark spot in his life. He went on state,

“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. I was never anything that I would define as suicidal at all, but I was certainly in a despair,”

But the actor did eventually get out of the rabbit hole and recovered his mental health over time. And it appears that one person who kept the You actor afloat during his darkest period was Blake Lively.

Also read: “It fed their whole narrative”: Blake Lively Claims She Was Elaborately Set Up to Date ‘You’ Star Penn Badgley on ‘Gossip Girls’ Set to Make Fans Buy Her Narrative

Penn Badgley credits Blake Lively for keeping him afloat during his darkest period

Even though the actor was suffering through a spiritual crisis and most of the time was unhappy, he never struggled with substance issues and he credited Blake Lively for that. The You actor clarified that even though he was never suicidal but was in a constant state of despair. But his relationship with Blake Lively at the time prevented him from being prone to substance abuse or any other severe problems. He stated,

“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.”

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At the present, Penn Badgley has overcome those issues and is currently in a better frame of mind and is the lead of the ongoing Netflix show, You. And even though Blake Lively and the You actor eventually parted ways in 2010, the duo still carry a great friendship to this date.

You is streaming on Netflix.

Source: Variety