For XO, Kitty’s Anna Cathcart, Art is Imitating Life

How did you first hear that Kitty Covey would be getting her own spin-off series? 

It was initially talked about when I was shooting the third movie [of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before], and it was just an idea—like, “Oh, that would be so cool. Imagine if that happened?” I was like, “That would be great. I would love that.” But I really did not take it seriously. I honestly thought they were joking. And then a little bit of time went by, and it started being talked about more seriously at the end of 2019. But still for the longest time, I was like, “It’s not going to happen. There’s no way this is actually going to be a thing.” Just last year when we started shooting in March and we started getting ready at the start of the year, it was like, “Oh my god, this is actually going to be a thing. This is reality, and we’re going to Korea, and we’re doing this.” 

What excited you most about where they were taking Kitty’s story and what audiences would get to see with this character that we didn’t with the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before films?

Kitty in the movies, we always see her very confident. She knows who she is. She knows what’s going on, which is always something I’ve loved about her and have admired throughout the movies as well. She’s just very sure of herself. Now with the series, that is quivering for the first time, and she’s not sure of herself, and she doesn’t really feel like she’s got it under control, and she doesn’t quite know what’s going on or what’s going to happen next. That’s a really powerful thing because that’s often what happens when you grow up or when things progress. It’s like, “Oh, things aren’t always as simple as they might have been when I was younger or that I might have pictured in my head.” So I love that we see Kitty unsure for the first time and dealing with that and navigating what that is like. Also, being okay with not knowing and not having it all figured out is something that a lot of people can relate to, and I’m glad they explored that with Kitty. 

Jenny Han—who penned To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and last year’s hit The Summer I Turned Pretty—is a writer, EP, and showrunner on this series. What do you personally love about her approach to writing coming-of-age stories?

I read the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before books back when we were doing the movies, and I love just the details of having a teenage girl’s voice, and I can relate to Lara Jean in lots of ways—just the accuracy of the little things in her brain and how she sees the world. I think it’s really cool that Kitty is so different from Lara Jean and the things that she’s going through and her worries and her concerns are very different from Lara Jean’s. Even with The Summer I Turned Pretty, I watched the whole series and am a big fan, and that’s also a different world than Kitty and all the differences of the other characters and dynamics. None of them are the same. It’s very cool to see all the worlds within the JCU, which is what we like to call it, the Jenny Cinematic Universe. 

You started playing Kitty when you were 14 years old. Now, you are 19, and Kitty is a junior in high school, so you have essentially grown up together. How has playing Kitty impacted you as a person?  

I definitely feel like I’ve grown up with her by my side, which is pretty crazy. I had just finished grade eight when I was first auditioning. I was just about to turn 14, and now, I am almost 20 and going to university. I am at a different stage in my life, and Kitty is also in a different stage of her life, so getting to hold her hand through growing up is pretty crazy, and I feel lucky that I have that unique experience. Kitty is obviously going through different things than I am, but at the root of it, [there] are a lot of the same messages and things that we are both learning, like how to be independent, how to grow up and be close to your family, figuring out who you are, and not losing yourself but following your heart. All of those things I am very much going through in my personal life, too, so having Kitty going through that in her own way alongside me is very cool. 

Kitty is a hopeless romantic who loves grand gestures. Where do you think her extreme love of love all started? 

I think she is so close to her family and values her family so much that… In the movies, we see her get so obsessed with her family’s love lives, and I think that drives from the love that she has for her family members. She wants to see them at their best and meet people who bring out the best in them. So I think it stems from her immense love for her family and now for her friends and people in her life. 

Would you say you are similarly a hopeless romantic?

I think so. I love good, cheesy love movies and … cute things. I get very excited about people’s love lives. 

Kitty is the ultimate matchmaker. What about you? Do you have that instinctual feeling when you know two people are right for each other?

I don’t know. I definitely think Kitty is the pro at that, and she’s definitely better at that than I am. But I know Kitty gets very involved with her sister’s love life, especially in the movies, and I have an older sister who is my best friend in the whole world, and I definitely love getting involved in her love life. I don’t think I would ever do what Kitty did and send out secret letters, but I am definitely someone who gets very excited and loves love. 

A consistent theme in the series is that a lot of the characters, even Kitty, feel a need to hide certain aspects of their true selves. What do you hope audiences take away from their stories?

I really like that we explored that type of storyline, and I think it’s something that so many people can relate to in different ways. That feeling of having to hide a part of yourself or that you are unsure about a part of who you are is something that is part of life, and I think it’s great for viewers to see that so many people go through it. It’s a great reminder that you don’t know what someone might be going through or the struggles they are facing or what’s going on in their brain when they are doing something and to just remember that and treat people with compassion and kindness because you don’t really know what’s happening in everyone’s personal lives. I think also a big message is that Kitty doesn’t [have it figured it out] at the end of the season. She’s not like, “Oh, well, I’ve got it again. I’ve figured it out and know who I am and know what this means.” She’s very unsure and learning to be okay with that uncertainty. The scene with Kitty and her dad is one of my favorites. She’s having a low moment and feeling really overwhelmed, and love is still number one at the forefront of her family. You can see how much care and how close-knit they are, and I know that’s not everybody’s experience, but I think it’s amazing to have that portrayed, such an amazing, caring, loving family. I love that she doesn’t know because that’s often what happens.