There is a clear distinction between liking movies about serial killings versus the idolization of real-life serial killers, and YOU Season 4 star Penn Badgley did not shy away in telling off Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story fans for doing so. Rather than looking at Evan Peters with disgust, fans adored his performance, which, in turn, gained the show 856 million viewers in its first 28 days on Netflix.
“You need to look at that inside,” Badgley told Entertainment Weekly when asked what message he brings to fans who end up being attracted to serial killers, “Now, to be fair, with our show, you’re meant to fall in love with him, [and] that’s on us.”
While the 36-year-old actor is playing a psychopathic murderer himself, Joe Goldberg, in Netflix’s YOU series, Badgley has never tolerated romanticizing what his character does to his obsessions in the entire show. Badgley’s fans completely agree with the actor’s statement, sharing their thoughts on Twitter:
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That said, Badgley also addressed fans who find themselves obsessing over Dahmer in spite of every killing and trauma he inflicted on his victims:
“Ted Bundy? That’s on you. Jeffrey Dahmer? That is on Netflix. That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix.” Badgley continued on to say he doesn’t technically have a message, but, “I do, [but] they’re long. It’s weird, man.”
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story caused quite a riot on Netflix by becoming one of the streaming site’s most-watched shows of all time. Starring WandaVision’s Evan Peters, the show gave the limited series star a Golden Globes award for Best Actor in a Limited Series.
Netflix is no stranger when it comes to committing controversies. Despite the family of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims practically begging and pleading with them to cancel the show, Netflix refused to listen to the show's criticisms. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story continues to be available for streaming.
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