MoxBlog

Penn Badgley has spent considerable time supporting organizations and social movements in his career. For example, in 2011, he joined protestors on the streets of New York as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, to help raise awareness of economic inequality in America. "I mean, listen, it's cheesy, but I want to do whatever I can. Let's be honest: I'm on f***ing 'Gossip Girl,'" he told Capital. "... It's absurd that celebrity power is what it is, but, like, use any tool you have, you know?" 

In fact, Badgley has long been open about his privilege in terms of celebrity, gender, and race when it comes to getting cast. Speaking to The Pink News about the casting process for marginalized characters and those from underrepresented groups, he proclaimed, "Let's make damn sure that they're being represented by the people who have lived this experience."

More than just sticking up for other actors, Badgley also happens to be an advocate for the National Center for Human and Civil Rights. He also works with the Tahirih Justice Center, an organization that helps immigrants and focuses on ending gender-based violence. As well as being friends with the center's founder, he told Teen Vogue, "The seed of this is ... the shared ideals that we hold sacred, including equality among women and men." According to Badgley, he felt especially moved to help the organizations due to his fictional but violent character in the series, "You."

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