Look at that dreamy gaze! Credit: The CW

You know the type; dark, very cute, kinda quiet, brown, puppy-dog eyes? Actor Penn Badgley has the stats for strong boyfriend material. You might have seen him in the short-lived series "The Bedford Diaries" or "The Mountain". He was also in John Tucker Must Die and will co-star in the upcoming rugby-themed Forever Strong.

This fall (starting Sept. 19 on The CW), Penn takes on the role of Dan Humphrey on the much anticipated teen-aimed series "Gossip Girl" from the creator of "The O.C.". The show is based on the very popular book series about the relationships in a crowd of rich teens in New York City. Penn's character is an outsider (don't we just love those?) who has the hots for Blake Lively's rich gal character.

We cornered Penn recently for a chat about the show, his own high school experiences, musical tastes and more.

TeenTelevision: How did you come to get this role of Dan in "Gossip Girl"?

Penn: My agents sent it to me and, initially, I was hesitant because I'd done so many WB shows playing the same guy; the nice guy with maybe a hard edge so, by the end of each show, I'd sort of transform the character into a cooler guy [laughs]. That was my pride acting out. But, once I read the script and I knew that Josh [Schwartz "The O.C."] and Stephanie [Savage "The O.C."] were involved, that's when I signed onboard because I knew it would be something special.