In the beginning, Penn Badgley assumed his new co-star in the smash-hit Netflix thriller You was a lot like her character. This, jokes said co-star Charlotte Ritchie, was “somewhat rude. Because it shows he did no research about me.” If he had, Badgley would quickly have deduced that the Londoner was nothing like Kate Galvin, a ruthless British heiress, who – for some godforsaken reason – decides to marry his serial killer protagonist Joe Goldberg. Instead, the 35-year-old has cemented her place in the British comedy firmament with her perky, subtly goofy screen presence and impeccable comic timing, as showcased in beloved comedies from university life opus Fresh Meat to the BBC’s ingeniously silly supernatural sitcom Ghosts.
At first, Ritchie was nervous about joining You. The drama, then three seasons in, was already a colossal hit, adored for its knowingly ludicrous premise, bizarre twists and Badgley’s virtuoso portrayal of an apparently empathetic femicidal maniac. On set, Ritchie was impressed by Badgley’s ability to segue from “smart self-awareness” to serial killer mode. “His eyes go kind of wide and his face goes totally blank and inside I was like: Oh my God, that’s so horrifying!” she says.
