TV

Joe Goldberg may typically get away with murder, but it's hard to believe no one notices him in his baseball cap. Penn Badgley agrees.

Published on April 1, 2023

Penn Badgley is steaming up the small screen in the latest season of the Netflix hit You. With the news that the series is returning for a fifth and final season, many are discovering the talented actor’s work. You follows the exploits of the charming serial killer Joe Goldberg and the various targets of his obsessive personality. The character of Joe has several signature quirks that have become infamous in the show’s fanbase — in particular, his “disguise.” Badgley discussed this in a recent interview with Elle, admitting he’s well aware of the discourse around Joe and his hat.

Joe Goldberg developed a signature look in ‘You’

Joe Goldberg might be an obsessive serial killer, but no one will deny that he’s got a strong fashion sense. Each season of You has featured Joe rocking a slightly different theme to his outfits. But regardless of his location, Joe is always well put together.

As reported by Screen Rant, the first season of the series featured Joe wearing mostly benign outfits that made him seem approachable — just as a bookstore owner should look. Successive seasons saw Joe adopt a more upscale, formal style, with lots of dark neutrals and preppy sweaters.

One mainstay for Joe Goldberg is his tendency to wear baseball caps whenever he plans on conducting some nefarious business. In fact, Joe seems to believe that wearing the hat makes him seem invisible since he wears it during his stalking excursions.

What did Penn Badgley say about Joe Goldberg’s disguise?

Badgley knows that Joe’s hat has become a “thing” for You viewers. And in a recent interview with Elle, he admitted that he’s well aware of how silly it is as a costume device. “I had no idea how iconic the hat would become,” he said. “I remember the first time I had to wear it inside, rather than outside. Because outside, people wear hats. Outside, it actually kind of works… you keep your hat down, it’s not that big of a deal.”

But inside is a different story. “I’m pretty sure in the pilot or maybe the second episode Joe is stalking [Elizabeth Lail’s] Beck — RIP Beck — in a hat inside a bar. That was the first time I was like ‘guys, it’s a little conspicuous in the windbreaker and in a cap at the bar!'”

Fans have joked about Joe Goldberg’s obvious disguise

Over the past several years, as You has steadily risen in popularity, many fans have taken to the internet to joke about Joe’s not-so-secret disguise. In fact, many fans roast him on social media for his poor spy costume, including the ever-present baseball cap. Even Badgley is aware of the memes, joking to InStyle that he has seen many of the online conversations. “Yeah, a few people have been texting them to me and I’ve seen some,” the actor said.

“I think the one that made me laugh out loud was the one where I’ve been given nails and hoop earrings,” Badgley mused. “And there was a tweet with that meme that has been used so many times (“distracted boyfriend”), for so many different purposes to varying effect, and the picture finally had no text on it. The simplicity of that one was very funny to me.”

As dramatic as You can be, there’s certainly plenty of meme potential there. Fans who want to enjoy even more Joe Goldberg can catch up with the latest season of You, which is now streaming on Netflix.

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