Here are five facts about Penn Badgley…

1. Penn Badgley was named after Penn tennis balls. “My father was bouncing a Penn tennis ball for stress during my mom’s pregnancy,” he told E!’s Daily 10. “When my mother got her first amnio…she just casually mentioned that the baby is the size of that tennis ball, and that’s it. I’m glad it wasn’t Dunlop or Wilson.”

2. Penn Badgley covets Gossip Girl costar Ed Westwick’s chest hair because “they make me shave my chest for the show,” he told PEOPLE.

3. On the verge of his Gossip Girl fame, Penn Badgley was asked about the prospects of becoming a teen heartthrob. “It’s sort of strange to think that could happen, but I welcome it. Why wouldn’t I?” he told Out magazine. “Though it could get overwhelming if I turned into Kirk Cameron or something.”

4. Penn Badgley lended his voice to two Mario video games, including 1999’s “Mario Golf 64″ and 2000’s “Mario Tennis”.

5. When asked about the work he’s least proud of, Penn Badgley told Time Out, “I did this training video for the Pokémon card game where I had to do comedy skits that were played to adults between training lessons.”

I think he is a sweetheart and perfect for Gossip Girl!