Penn Badgley and Tati Gabrielle in You.Photo: JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX
[SPOILER ALERT: Details for season 3 ofYouon Netflix]
Tati Gabrielleshines as Joe Goldberg’s latest obsession in season 3 ofNetflix’s addictive thriller seriesYou.
The actress, 25, dives into her portrayal of no-nonsense librarian Marienne Bellamy as she tells PEOPLE about working with costarPenn Badgleyand the “huge red flag” she looks for in avoiding real-life Joe Goldbergs.
“I think it’s a big red flag when men want to take care of you too much, like when they want to spoil you to the nth degree,” she explains. “When they don’t necessarily give you the space or freedom to be independent or self-empowered.”
“To me, that’s a huge red flag, whether it means that he’s going to be a psycho like Joe Goldberg or just be super misogynistic or super controlling, I think that’s the first of many red flags in that regard,” Gabrielle adds.
As Marienne, she discovers a kindred spirit in her new library coworker Joe (Badgley), after realizing they both grew up in the foster care system. Their friendship evolves into an adulterous affair behind the back of Joe’s wife Love (Victoria Pedretti), whose impulsive homicidal tendencies present an obstacle in his journey to becoming a better, non-murderous man.
JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX
Meanwhile, Marienne struggles to keep her daughter Juliette (Dallas Skye) safe during a bitter custody battle with her toxic ex Ryan (Scott Michael Foster). The star-crossed lovers plot an escape together from their dire situations, which results in deadly consequences.
“That Marienne is a little harder to fool,” Gabrielle muses. “She’s a little bit more clued in and doesn’t take very much bull—, excuse my French. She makes Joe work a little bit harder, and is more resistant to him than his previous victims.”
“And I think that it also is born from not only her being a mother, but just the upbringing she had and experiences that she’d had with Ryan, that she’s just more guarded and is not quickly trusting of people,” she adds.
RELATED VIDEO: Penn Badgley On Creating a ‘Chaste’ Environment While Filming Edgy Series ‘You’
Behind the scenes, however, she had no trouble connecting with Badgley, 34. “It wasn’t hard building on-screen chemistry with Penn because Penn is the complete opposite of Joe. I would tell him, though, ‘You know your eyes change when you turn into Joe?'” Gabrielle recounts.
“Me looking into Penn’s eyes is very different than me looking into Joe’s eyes. He very much internally turns into a different person,” she explains. “But yeah, it wasn’t difficult building that with Penn, despite knowing who Joe is and what Joe is. And that’s, I think, what made it all just the easier and smoother to go along, that Penn is just a really wonderful guy.”
“Prior to it being timely in this moment, this is something, to all communities of color, that is not new,” Gabrielle says. “So when I first read that line and first read the episode, I was like, ‘Yes! Okay, yeah. Let’s freaking talk about this!’ And I very much appreciate Sera and our writing team for that being something that was so fully addressed and not shied away from even a little bit. Yeah, it really excited me and made me grateful that I was able to speak on such a matter that is, clearly, not new.”
Season 3 ofYoupremiered Friday on Netflix, two days after the streaming giantgave the show an early renewal for season 4, and Gabrielle has some ideas for how she wants her character’s story to unfold.
“I just hope that Marienne truly does find her happy ending and her happily ever after, and just be able to live a good life with her kid,” she says. “And I do have this theory, I want Marienne to foil Joe at some point, or to expose him in some way. But I don’t know what they’re planning for the next season. So, I’m just excited to see what they give her.”
See Tati Gabrielle in season 3 ofYou, now streaming on Netflix.
source: people.com
