Penn Badgley became financially independent at the age of 15

During an appearance on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, Penn explained: "I was financially independent by 15. I wasn't always the breadwinner, but I've always needed to and wanted to provide support for my parents since then."

Penn actually felt "tired of television" before he was offered a role in 'Gossip Girl'.

The actor felt "disillusioned" with Hollywood at the time - but he accepted the role of Dan Humphrey in the teen drama series because he needed the money.

He shared: "I was close to broke, although I was looking forward to figuring that out.

"The future was a real unknown and I think the stakes [were] high."

Penn has worked on dozens of projects during his career, but he continues to be defined by his time on 'Gossip Girl.

The actor explained: "I'm going to be 39 this year. Next year, I will be 40. I will still be answering questions about this show I decided to do when I was 20. And whatever. That is what it is ... It sets you on a certain track that you have to in a sense resist. Work with it, interface with it. Otherwise, it just sort of takes you on its ride."

Penn also noted that the public struggled to differentiate him from his on-screen character.

He said: "What people seemed to think of Dan seemed to be what people thought of me. And now I had enough sense, enough intelligence, enough self-worth ... I wasn't like losing myself. But it bothered me."

What's more, Penn actually found it "a struggle" to distance himself from his 'Gossip Girl' character.

The TV star - who appeared on the show alongside the likes of Leighton Meester and Blake Lively - said: "It was a struggle ... When you do a film, you do it once and give it your all and then you move on ... When you do a television show, you're doing it constantly because of the nature of that show."