You season 4 Eat the Rich Killer actor reveals their motivations

Penn Badgley in You Season 4
(Image credit: Netflix)

You season 4 part 1 features a mysterious murderer, dubbed the Eat the Rich Killer, who is also stalking Joe Goldberg and sending him ominous, top-secret text messages. The actor behind the killer has talked about their character's motivations – but a warning that the following contains major spoilers for You season 4 part 1! Turn back now if you haven't seen all the episodes on Netflix yet! 

Penn Badgley in You season 4

(Image credit: Netflix)

Towards the end of episode 5, it's revealed that none other than Rhys Montrose is the Eat the Rich Killer. He's been picking off the ultra wealthy new characters and has no plans on stopping. 

"He is driven by success," Ed Speleers, who plays Rhys, told Entertainment Weekly. "He is really driven by wanting a second chance for himself." Rhys has a rags to riches tale, ultimately escaping poverty at Oxford University, and, by the time he's introduced in season 4, harboring big plans to become London's mayor. 

"In the early stages, he was shown to me as a man that had a checkered past that was trying to maybe right a few wrongs, but was a man that knew how to walk the line between many social classes," Speelers also said of his character. "He had come from a certain background but had elevated himself. I think that's a huge character trait of his, is having this ability to be in any social circumstance and to be able to talk to anyone and almost be a chameleon, to have that ability to mold himself into any situation. As a result of that, he then has a curiosity of others to understand who they are and what drives them and what makes them be the way they are."

You season 4 part 1 ended on a huge cliffhanger, with Rhys announcing his intention to run for mayor after trapping Joe in a burning building. The trailer for part 2 teases even more twists and turns to come, as well as the return of a surprise character. Expect even more fireworks to come, then. 

You can check out our You season 4 part 1 ending explained for a deep dive on that ending – and fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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