Penn Badgley Reacts to Gossip Girl Costar Michelle Trachtenberg’s “Surreal” Death (Exclusive)
Penn Badgley is remembering his late costar Michelle Trachtenberg.
The You star spoke out on the death of his fellow Gossip Girl alum—who was found dead in her apartment in February at age 39—while attending the premiere of the Netflix thriller series’ fifth and final season.
“What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh,” he exclusively told E! News while walking the red carpet at the April 23 premiere. “She was really joyous. We all have our ups and downs, our lights and shadows, but she had this—I mean, she was mature, but she had this childlike, joyous laugh.”
Penn—whose wife Domino Kirke is currently pregnant with twins—acknowledged he hadn’t crossed paths with the late actress “in over a decade,” but was quick to describe her as a “really pure heart.”
“It’s surreal,” the 38-year-old said of Michelle’s sudden passing. “Really surreal, really saddening.” (For more from Penn, tune into E! News tonight, April 23, at 11 p.m.)
