The Netflix drama YOU has characters ranging from sweet to crazy, and Penn Badgley's protagonist Joe Goldberg is at the center of it all. In the first season, he's living his best life in NYC, and he falls for Beck (Elizabeth Lail), a girl who comes into his bookstore. Things don't end well for her as she literally loses her life as a result of getting involved with him. In season two, he falls for Love Quinn, played by Victoria Pedretti who people love watching in Bly Manor. While they seem equally evil and awful, Joe is still a master when it comes to emotional manipulation and using people as pawns.

While fans are waiting for the third season of this fast-paced show, it's time to ask an interesting question: does Penn Badgley like his YOU character, Joe Goldberg?

Not Much Fun

Penn Badgley used to date his Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively, and whether he's portraying Dan or Joe, he's definitely a ladies' man... but a really scary one.

Badgley has shared that it's not fun portraying Joe. In an interview with Variety, he explained, "Playing Joe is not this terribly enjoyable experience."

Because Joe moves to Los Angeles in the second season and starts his next obsessive journey, Badgley got very deep when talking about his character. He said that it was "even more isolating" and compared the "space" of California to "the void" that Joe has inside.

The actor also said that because it was so tough portraying this character, he would have some relief when he was taking a break from shooting the season. He said, "He is a little bit of an oppressive character, if not extremely, and there’s something I experience of that when playing him. So just privately, the weekends were a refuge, because I was able to live in L.A. like a normal human. It was really refreshing sometimes.”

It makes sense that he would feel that way about playing this character, as Joe sneaks around, has a lot of pain, and doesn't know how to cope with all of the negative feelings that he has.

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Joe Is Crazy And Dangerous

Badgley always reminds people that Joe is dangerous. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, he explained, "Joe is not actually looking for true love. He’s not actually a person who just needs somebody who loves him. He’s a murderer! He’s a sociopath. He’s abusive. He’s delusional. And he’s self-obsessed."

The actor also talked about how wanting Joe and Love (or Joe and Beck, from the first season) to live happily ever after is really not the right way to go. After all, Joe is a truly dangerous person, and that's not going to change. He told EW, "You can’t fool yourself into thinking that he just needs somebody who’s right for him. Nobody’s right for him!"

It's good to remember that this is someone who locks people in glass cages...

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Joe Is A Metaphor

Getting deep once again, Penn Badgley shared with Today that it's interesting to examine why people like Joe so much. It seems like the actor sees Joe as a metaphor.

Badgley said, "I don't see him as a portrayal of a real person, I see him as a representation of the part of us that identifies with him. The part of us that is a troll; that part of us that is victim-blaming; the part of us that is privileged and blind. We're meant to identify with him."

Badgley also shared in an interview with In Style that he understands that people find Joe endearing. He said Joe can be "sympathetic and even honest and brave" and he can be the poster boy for a feminist boyfriend. It's definitely true that there are moments in his relationships with Beck and Love when he's sweet and it seems like he's a good guy. The actor said that the show "works" because Joe puts on a baseball cap and people really can't recognize him. All of the elements of Joe's story come together so seamlessly, and it's easy to love him in one scene and absolutely hate him in the next.

RELATED: Netflix’s YOU: 5 Times Beck Was Joe’s Perfect Match (& 5 Times It Was Love Quinn)

Ultimately, while many fans of YOU think that Joe Goldberg is handsome and a flawless boyfriend, that's definitely not the case. He's one of the most dangerous partners on TV and it's good to remember that. Even Penn Badgley finds his character difficult to play, and while he gets the fanfare around Joe, he thinks people should keep Joe's evil instincts top of mind.

NEXT: Netflix’s ‘You’: Is Joe Goldberg Based On Ted Bundy?