You Season 3's Tati Gabrielle Looks for This 'Huge Red Flag' in Avoiding Real-Life Joe Goldbergs

YOU (L to R) PENN BADGLEY as JOE GOLDBERG and TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE in episode 301 of YOU
YOU (L to R) PENN BADGLEY as JOE GOLDBERG and TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE in episode 301 of YOU
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JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX

[SPOILER ALERT: Details for season 3 of You on Netflix]

Tati Gabrielle shines as Joe Goldberg's latest obsession in season 3 of Netflix's addictive thriller series You.

The actress, 25, dives into her portrayal of no-nonsense librarian Marienne Bellamy as she tells PEOPLE about working with costar Penn Badgley and the "huge red flag" she looks for in avoiding real-life Joe Goldbergs.

"I think it's a big red flag when men want to take care of you too much, like when they want to spoil you to the nth degree," she explains. "When they don't necessarily give you the space or freedom to be independent or self-empowered."

RELATED: You Star Shalita Grant Breaks Down That Foursome Scene: 'I Was Totally Down for It'

"To me, that's a huge red flag, whether it means that he's going to be a psycho like Joe Goldberg or just be super misogynistic or super controlling, I think that's the first of many red flags in that regard," Gabrielle adds.

As Marienne, she discovers a kindred spirit in her new library coworker Joe (Badgley), after realizing they both grew up in the foster care system. Their friendship evolves into an adulterous affair behind the back of Joe's wife Love (Victoria Pedretti), whose impulsive homicidal tendencies present an obstacle in his journey to becoming a better, non-murderous man.

YOU (L to R) TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE in episode of YOU
YOU (L to R) TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE in episode of YOU

JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX

Meanwhile, Marienne struggles to keep her daughter Juliette (Dallas Skye) safe during a bitter custody battle with her toxic ex Ryan (Scott Michael Foster). The star-crossed lovers plot an escape together from their dire situations, which results in deadly consequences.

"That Marienne is a little harder to fool," Gabrielle muses. "She's a little bit more clued in and doesn't take very much bull—, excuse my French. She makes Joe work a little bit harder, and is more resistant to him than his previous victims."

"And I think that it also is born from not only her being a mother, but just the upbringing she had and experiences that she'd had with Ryan, that she's just more guarded and is not quickly trusting of people," she adds.

RELATED VIDEO: Penn Badgley On Creating a 'Chaste' Environment While Filming Edgy Series 'You'

Behind the scenes, however, she had no trouble connecting with Badgley, 34. "It wasn't hard building on-screen chemistry with Penn because Penn is the complete opposite of Joe. I would tell him, though, 'You know your eyes change when you turn into Joe?'" Gabrielle recounts.

"Me looking into Penn's eyes is very different than me looking into Joe's eyes. He very much internally turns into a different person," she explains. "But yeah, it wasn't difficult building that with Penn, despite knowing who Joe is and what Joe is. And that's, I think, what made it all just the easier and smoother to go along, that Penn is just a really wonderful guy."

RELATED: Netflix's You Season 3: 6 Things to Remember Before Binging the New Episodes

Gabrielle also raves about co-creator/showrunner Sera Gamble and the writers' room, who gave her a monologue about "Missing White Woman Syndrome." Following the disappearance and killing of Gabby Petito, that same discourse around society prioritizing cases of missing white women while thousands of cases of missing people of color go widely ignored, is more timely than ever.

"Prior to it being timely in this moment, this is something, to all communities of color, that is not new," Gabrielle says. "So when I first read that line and first read the episode, I was like, 'Yes! Okay, yeah. Let's freaking talk about this!' And I very much appreciate Sera and our writing team for that being something that was so fully addressed and not shied away from even a little bit. Yeah, it really excited me and made me grateful that I was able to speak on such a matter that is, clearly, not new."

YOU (L to R) TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE and DALLAS SKYE as JULIETTE in episode 310 of YOU
YOU (L to R) TATI GABRIELLE as MARIENNE and DALLAS SKYE as JULIETTE in episode 310 of YOU

JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX

Season 3 of You premiered Friday on Netflix, two days after the streaming giant gave the show an early renewal for season 4, and Gabrielle has some ideas for how she wants her character's story to unfold.

"I just hope that Marienne truly does find her happy ending and her happily ever after, and just be able to live a good life with her kid," she says. "And I do have this theory, I want Marienne to foil Joe at some point, or to expose him in some way. But I don't know what they're planning for the next season. So, I'm just excited to see what they give her."

See Tati Gabrielle in season 3 of You, now streaming on Netflix.