In season 5 of You, the line between love and obsession blurs once more again as Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) returns to his old stomping grounds in New York City. Amid the final season, the show has has upped the ante on its intimate scenes, namely between Joe and his new flame, Bronte.
Madeline Brewer, the actress behind the new character, told ELLE UK that filming the intimate scenes were anything but romantic—instead, they were meticulously choreographed and built on professional trust. “Penn and I are old hats at this,” Brewer said. “I’ve done so many intimate scenes—six simulated sex scenes. Penn has obviously been doing this show for years.”
Both actors are in committed relationships, which Brewer states helped lay a neutral ground for filming: “We’re both in very happy and loving relationships. There’s no tension—it’s just choreography.” In 2024, Brewer got engaged to cinematographer Jack Thompson-Roylance while Badgley has been married to his long-term partner Domino Suzy Kirke-Badgley since 2017.
As for filming process itself, Brewer recalls how she and Badgley would hold mutual check-ins with one another in between scenes. “We’d be like are you okay? I’m okay. Are you okay? I’m okay,” she explains.
“It’s so choreographed and non-sexual that it really does feel like just going to work,” she added. However, one scene was particularly awkward to film. “There’s one in particular, where I’m kind of under a table...very uncomfortable, very strange,” she said. Despite this, Badgley was there to give her reassurance. “‘Maddie, I’ve been doing this for so long. Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you know if I’m not okay,’” she recalled him saying.
A key figure in ensuring the scenes were handled with care was You’s intimacy coordinator Allison Jones, who helped Brewer and Badgley find balance in their approach to filming their scenes. “She was wonderful,” Brewer said. “She knew exactly when to step in and when to step back. She let us guide the scene, and it was incredibly respectful from all parties. Which is exactly how it should be.”
