Penn Badgley, aka Dan Humphrey in “Gossip Girl” and Joe Goldberg in Netflix original series “You,” tried to fight off the jet lag the minute he got to his hotel room. It’s a shame he wouldn’t be able to see much of Manila, but the actor will be interacting with fans tomorrow, Jan. 15.

The Greenbelt Gallery will be completely transformed to look like Mooney’s—the same bookstore he manages on the romantic thriller show. The fan event is set to start at 6:00 p.m.

While he doesn’t have much time to explore the city, he had enough minutes to spare to dig in the most massive halo-halo there is. “It was great. I mean, it was a lot of sugar at 10 a.m., but it was nice,” Penn shared. It was the first Filipino dish he has gotten a taste of. Later in the day, Shay Mitchell introduced him to turon.

“Yesterday, I was just adjusting to jet lag and I stayed in the hotel. I had the choice between the Filipino breakfast and the American breakfast. I actually asked the woman on the phone what she would recommend, and she was like, ‘umm, sir, I think I would stay with the American breakfast,’” he said.

His co-star, Shay Mitchell (who plays the feisty Peach Salinger), disapproved of yesterday’s breakfast choice and said she would have longganisa delivered to his room soon. “Some pancit, too!” she said.

It’s Shay’s third time in the country, and she’s pretty confident she’s tried the best of what Filipino cuisine could offer—after all, her mom hails from Pampanga, a region where the indulgent Sisig, creamy Kare-kare, and sweet-and-salty favorite tocino originates from (which are just some of our recommendations for Shay and Penn to share a meal of).

“I’m adventurous, I’ll try new things. I’ll definitely do it,” the 32-year-old actor quipped. Penn also revealed he loved working and couldn’t be more excited to join press and fan tours with Shay.

“I think we really mix well,” Penn said. “Like the ingredients of a halo-halo! There’s unity in diversity.”

Photos from Magic Liwanag for Netflix Philippines

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