LOS ANGELES — Penn Badgley reportedly dropped his controller on the coffee table during a sex scene between Geralt of Rivia and Syanna in Witcher 3, as he felt holding the controller would be harmful to his marriage.
“Sure, having sex with Syanna seemed like something Geralt would do as a character. And yes, she’s hot as hell, no question,” said Badgley, who also turned down all sex scenes in the upcoming season of the Netflix series You. “But after a long discussion with my wife, we decided that I should take no part in the act personally. It just doesn’t feel consistent with our vows.”
Some critics have claimed his decision is childish, noting that Badgley engaged in previous sex scenes in Witcher 3 by keeping the controller in his hands, or on his lap. The actor pushed back against these comments.
“I know what people are saying. ‘It’s not real sex! It’s a fantasy! Why is it a problem all of a sudden?’ But it’s still a violation, feeling the cold plastic handles of an Xbox controller on my fingertips. It’s basically the same as literally dicking Syanna down myself,” said Badgley before picking the controller back up and immediately murdering a random stranger on the road. “I just had a moment where I thought, ‘Enough.’ Video games are real life and in real life, I’m married.”
Others praised his decision, saying it was about time someone pushed for decency in entertainment.
“This man is single-handedly restoring my faith in gamers as chaste, moral individuals,” wrote Tumblr user and avid You fan EuphoriaGal09. “Finally somebody is standing up against the sexualization of video game characters. Syanna is a former princess, ruthless bandit leader, and victim of a mysterious curse brought on by a solar eclipse — why must she also have sex? And why do we need to see it? Maybe she and Gerlat could talk about their hobbies instead. Just an idea.”
Badgley has also sworn off all games featuring Sonic, as the character is simply “too smokin’ hot.”
