FOLLOWING ITS LAUNCH in 2007, Gossip Girl quickly became one of the most popular teen dramas in the industry.

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Starring Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, the show ran for five years, catapulting its cast into the glare of the media spotlight.

And six years on from the finale, Penn, who played Dan Humphries, has revealed that the fame born of his role on the show resulted in encounters which he struggles to reconcile in his head.

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Speaking to The Daily Beast, the 31-year-old actor described his fanbase as having a ‘pretty full-on obsession’.

The actor gave an insight into incidents which took place as a result of starring on the show.

I think as an actor you can become an object of desire, which is something women are already accustomed to more or less around the world—I’ve definitely been, I mean I don’t want to sound sensationalist, but I’ve literally been molested – just in the literal sense of the word – by many people in the moment. Because that’s what they do.

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Elaborating on his thought process at the time and acknowledging that recent events have given him pause for thought, Penn added:

You’re led as a man, particularly, that when it happens you should feel great about it. Particularly when it comes from someone who’s feasibly an object of your desire as well.

According to The Daily Beast, the actor was reluctant to discuss the topic too much, acknowledging that his status as a white man affords him certain privileges, and he didn’t want his account to be misinterpreted.

However, he, understandably, wants his voice to be heard, and sees the merit in contributing to the narrative.

Making reference to Terry Crews, who came forward with his own account of sexual misconduct within the industry, Penn said: “These things very much happen, you know.”

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