Instagram/@pennbadgley
Penn Badgley the celebrity has recently wrapped up his promotional week for the new book titled ‘Crushmore: Essays on Love, Loss & Coming-of-Age,’ which he cleverly called his ‘influencer cadence’ characterized by a witty and reflective video showing the whole week of events. He, along with the actor and the author, also shared the last post on Instagram, celebrating the release of his candid essay collection which he calls ‘the heart and soul’ of ‘the blood sweat and tears’ of daily life that comes along with it.
Advertisement
In the woods, Penn is talking about being a writer and it is like he speaks with an awesome and at the same time quite funny side of the subject which is almost as wide as the video itself. He begins by telling how nice it is to be outside, thus giving the simple act of being outdoors a potential framing as content producer. ‘This is what writers do,’ he quips, ‘They take a simple everyday experience and turn it into content.’ The mood is immediately self-reflective, joking about the very character of content for an audience while at the same time engaging in that.
The fun continues to escalate when he talks about the making of the video directly. He mentions the possibility of getting a dog especially since he is ‘a writer now’ and then points to the cracked window of his phone that has made him pull off ‘like an influencer’ to prevent the light from blocking his face. ‘Which is exactly the last thing as a writer I want,’ he says without any expression. The performance and reality aspect of the author has been illuminated in a very Badgley-like manner, where the blending of deep thought and daily frustration happens. He leans back casually against a tree, his look turned to the side, and he outrightly calls the public to seize his book. ‘Go to a bookshop and pick it up and just read the first few pages or go online… and just read a preview,’ he urges. ‘All for free. I am not asking for the money here. I am asking for your soul.’
He next deals with the subject matter of his portmanteau ‘Crushmore’ book. He states that an excellent coming-of-age story has the potential to become a signal of a universal requirement. ‘Growing the f-up’ he shouts with great emphasis. ‘Isn’t that what we need? I mean, isn’t that what we all need really? That’s what we need at the individual level, at the institutional level, at the social level. We all need to grow the F up.’ This powerful conclusion connects his personal story with a wider, sometimes urgent, social commentary leaving the audience with a thought that resonates long after the video has ended.
The audience reacted with mixed emotions, combining euphoria and support with humor. One person summed it all up by saying, ‘Brings us one step closer to grow the fuq up 😭😭😭,’ thus echoing Badgley empowerment of the human feeling with his concluding remark. Another person jokingly looked at the promotional grind saying, ‘Penn, now that you’ve sold so many books I think you can get a new phone without the crack in it. 🙂 congrats! I can’t wait to dig in.’ This comment has highlighted the endearing but at the same time humorous author’s struggle for his readership that has become a part of his persona.
A follower while asking, ‘Is this the end of your chronically online era? I’m still yet to get my book it’s crossing the oceans as we speak! Wait up, I wanna tell you what I think of it and thank you properly!!’ touched the very change that Badgley is signaling—the end of an extensive, online presence. The anticipatory tone in the message underscores the real bond that Badgley has built with the people during this time.
Moreover, he had an international audience, as one person wrote in Spanish saying, ‘Thought I had to put on my glasses 😂 this edit is killing me 😝,’ and it was a comment on the video’s fashion, slightly obscured aesthetic that Badgley said was due to the cracked screen. This shows that the content was able to reach even non-English speakers as the humor in the visuals worked perfectly. Another person just said that ‘Ok ok I’m so getting this book like NOW❤️🙌🔥 So excited!!!!!’ showing how much his charisma in person directly influenced the audience’s interest.
Advertisement
From the acclaimed actor to a published author, Penn Badgley has always been very personal and close to his heart. With ‘Crushmore,’ he not only offers a collection of essays but also a storyteller who fully embraces the role in a new medium. His promotional week, which included this amazing video, masterfully blended intellectual depth with self-deprecating humor, thus confirming that his voice is equally engaging on paper as it is onscreen. The entire campaign served as a distinctive, meta-narrative that portrayed art vs. commerce and highlighted the modern necessity of ‘growing up’ which, in a way, made him a thoughtful and unique voice in the cultural landscape.