To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before star Lana Condor talks to Hypable about what drew her to the story and the impact of being part of this wave of new, diverse romcoms.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of my favorite YA books and has been one of my most anticipated movies of 2018 since it was announced a year ago.
The story of Lara Jean Song Covey, a quiet, Asian-American high school Junior who has to deal with the aftermath of when her most secret love letters unexpectedly get sent out, is rife with all of my favorite tropes and storytelling devices. There’s fake dating, family feels, diverse characters, and a fantastic big damn kiss.
So, I was incredibly excited when I had the chance to sit down with Lana Condor, who plays leading lady Lara Jean, and chat with her about playing Lara Jean, acting alongside Noah Centineo and what she’s most excited for audiences to see.
What drew you to the character of Lara Jean?
She has a such a good heart and it’s very refreshing to play a good person. I love her heart and her humor. Of course it was a no brainer — as soon as I go the audition, I thought this is mine, this is mine. Not only is she a beautiful character, but it’s such an amazing opportunity for diversity in film. So I was just beyond thrilled when I got the offer. When I got it, it was truly a dream come true because she is just such a sweet, sweet girl and I really enjoyed playing her.
You mention the diversity — I’m Asian-American and it’s very rare to see an Asian-American fall in love and just have a normal high school storyline. What was it like to portray that?
You know, it’s so crazy. I remember listening to Jenny [Han] talk about how it’s important to show that Asian-Americans fall in love, too. Like, this is not a crazy experience, you know?
And already, I’ve have had so many beautiful young girls who are Asian-American come up to me and say — thank you for representing our story on screen because there really truly isn’t enough of that on-screen.
And so this has totally been a dream come true and I’m so proud to be a part of that. And I really think that this is the first step to many more movies like this.
So we have ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ both coming out this week. What’s it like for you to be part of this wave of more diverse romcoms?
Oh my gosh, it’s definitely so exciting to be part of it. I recently got to go to a screening for Crazy Rich Asians and watching that movie as a young Asian-American girl and seeing that story has just been so great. I mean, number one that movie was fantastic. And number two, seeing that story was so refreshing and it was just this new wave of energy that I just loved. It’s a really exciting time.
What about the story resonated with you beyond being able to portray this diverse character and a diverse experience?
It has very universal themes — like not being able to feel like you fit in and being afraid to show someone your vulnerabilities, which is what definitely drew me to the film because I think that everyone can relate to that and I wanted to explore that a little bit deeper for myself.
This whole experience, too, has been a learning one for me because this is my first lead I’ve ever done, so being able to portray such a wonderful, kind character. That’s truly the reason why I wanted to do it.
What are you most excited for people to see with this film?
I’m most excited for people to see my chemistry with Noah, who plays Peter Kavinsky. I’m just really excited for people to see us working together because it was truly a dream to work with him and the scenes of us together are really awesome. I’m so excited for people to see Noah and me.
I’m also excited for people to see my relationships with my sisters. And I’m fascinated to see what people think in terms of its relationship to the book — like, if we stuck close enough to it.
What do you hope that audiences take away from the film?
I hope audiences take away the message that you should not be afraid to love and to not be afraid to love again, even if you’ve been hurt. I think that’s my major overall thing that I hope people take away from the film.
What do you hope audiences take away from your character?
I hope they see that it’s totally cool and amazing to be yourself, and not to be afraid to be yourself because at the end of the day, the people who accept that and the people who love you for who you really are — those are the people you actually want in your life.
I hope that when girls and guys and anyone who watches this movie, really — they see that it’s amazing to be yourself and people are going to love you if you just embrace who you are.
I mean, that’s my greatest hope, but at the end of the day, if people just like it, that’ll make me really happy. And you know, if people watch it and it gets popular, then we could get more!