There's A Rare Astrological Reason Why Penn Badgley Is So Good At Being Bad On You

If you’re one of the millions of people who marathoned You Season 4, or at least caught a few episodes of Season 1, I’m sure you’ve noticed how brilliantly Penn Badgley portrays Joe in the Netflix crime drama. As the series’ main antagonist/protagonist, Joe is usually his own worst enemy — and that’s saying a lot, considering the list of enemies he accumulates throughout the show. He often lets his rage and desire for control get the best of him, usually leading to the demise and/or complete destruction of anything (or, rather, anyone) he comes in contact with. A role like this can only be portrayed by a certain kind of person. Penn Badgley’s zodiac sign, as well as a rare astrological pattern called a stellium, in his birth chart helps explain why You’s Joe is a character that was practically made for him.

In order to convey the emotional intensity of everyone’s favorite fictional serial murderer of the moment, one would have to be a bit emotionally intense themselves. And that’s something that can’t be taught — you either have it or you don’t. In astrology, the one sign that immediately comes to mind when I think about emotional intensity is a Scorpio. So it comes as no surprise that the actor has not one, not two, but five planets in Scorpio, according to his birth chart, which means he has a Scorpio stellium. Talk about emotional intensity. Times five.

The Meaning Of The Scorpio Stellium In Penn Badgley’s Birth Chart

Having three or more planets in one sign is a pretty rare thing. Many people will have the sun and Mercury in the same sign, because Mercury never gets too far away from the sun. But the Gossip Girl alum has his sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, and Pluto all in this fixed water sign. Considering how well he plays a character with very strong emotions, this makes so much sense. Scorpio is a sign all about emotional control. Ruled by Mars, Scorpio is one that likes to keep their cards pretty close to their chest. While this can often lead to Scorpio-dominant folks being emotionally protected, their fear of being openly vulnerable can be their biggest challenge. As we’ve seen in You, Joe’s secrets usually come back to bite him, especially as he navigates being a husband and a father on Season 3.

While playing the role of a murderer likely isn’t an easy task, Penn Badgley makes the portrayal of Joe appear effortless because of his ability to tap into his own emotional depths. Being so water dominant, I’m sure some of the emotions we see Joe navigate on the show are somewhat familiar to him. The biggest strength of Scorpio-dominant individuals is their own personal power, the one thing that’s pretty admirable about this terrifying character. The ability that this zodiac sign has to transform, to shed the old version of themselves, no matter how painful their past may have been, is incredibly inspiring. Like every zodiac sign though, it’s important that we use our strengths for good and not for bad — or, in You’s case, downright evil.