XO, Kitty

The cast of XO Kitty are firm believers in love. Like their characters in the hit Netflix series, many are idealistic in the romantic tropes that the series portrays.

From “First Loves” to “Enemies to Lovers” to “Childhood Sweethearts,” Anna Cathcart, Gia Kim, Minyeong Choi, Sang Heon Lee, and Anthony Keyvan all have their favorite storytelling archetypes.

“I truly wish I had someone super cute who lived next door to me [as a child],” Cathcart sighs. “And, we knew each other [since we were three], and then we became best friends, then we’re teenagers [and fell in love].”

Like Kitty, Cathcart is a dreamer and romantic but can’t help but feel frustration when she realizes it’s too late for her to have a childhood friend to fall in love with. It’s because of that kind of romance that she loves the series so much.

“As a viewer,  I love when two characters know each other super well because that is a form of intimacy—just knowing the details about someone,” she explains. “The show blends itself to that a lot.”

It’s Friday evening at the offices in Hollywood with just twelve days until Christmas—the cast of Netflix’s XO Kitty are finishing up their last looks for the Timid photoshoot. They’ve been tirelessly doing promotions for the series all week, with this interview being their last before the holidays.

As Cathcart finishes her solo shot, Kim can be heard from the back cheering Cathcart on.

“Anna, your cheeks are giving,” Kim shouts from behind the cameras. “Your cheekbones are glowing! These look so good. Oh! Who is mothering the mother?!”

The rest of the cast arrives for the final group shot, and Cathcart pauses her shoot to compliment everyone’s outfits. “Everyone looks so cool!”

The conversation of romance and growth continues as the actors reminisce on their characters’ journey during their sophomore season. At the end of the first season, Kitty, fresh off her breakup with Dae (Choi), discovers her bisexuality through her attraction to Yuri, who has just been reunited with her girlfriend, Juliana (Regan Aliyah). It doesn’t stop there. Just as Kitty returns to Portland for winter break, Min Ho professes his love for her.

This season, Kitty returns for her second semester at the Korean Independent School of Seoul, a.k.a KISS, and begins to explore her newfound sexuality, dealing with new and past relationships and learning more about her Korean identity.

“I feel like season 1 for us was a test drive, and we were just trying to get a hold of the car,” says Cathcart. “Everything was crazy. This time, we [grabbed] the wheel and fully accelerated, [saying], ‘Let’s see where we can take this.’ Let’s see what we can do with this new sense of confidence.”

Her costars agree as they were dealing with the height of the pandemic and strict COVID protocols during the first season, as well as bringing life into these new characters in the beloved To All The Boys I Loved Before universe.

“Season 1 was the period of the most learning and growth for all of us,” Keyvan says. “Season 2 is when we can breathe a little bit and grow into our characters. In season 1, this show and experience were very new to us in different ways, and we had a lot of catching up to do in the little time we had. With the time that we had [this time], we could come into season 2 with a much more secure sense of us, not only as people but also as actors.”

When XO Kitty premiered in 2023; it was met with great praise, debuting in the US Top 10 list with 72.08 million hours viewed in their first week and appearing in the Top 10 in 90 countries. Many celebrated the show’s inclusivity with its predominantly Asian cast, queer storylines, and highlights of Korean and American cultural differences. The actors themselves experienced an explosion in social media followings, with many fans creating fan accounts and fan edits of their favorite characters and relationships from the show, particularly this season’s triangle between Yuri (Kim), Kitty (Cathcart), and Min Ho (Lee).

“I think what is special about our show is how inclusive it is in terms of queerness and the LGBTQ experience—and how normalized and celebrated it is,” says Keyvan. “At least for queer or queer-questioning audiences watching it can have a lot more hope watching our show.”

Lee says the series is easy to watch because the teen series has no high stakes. “You can watch the show and see, ‘I can make those mistakes as well,’ and they can make [them].”

Cathcart adds, “You don’t have to have it all figured out. None of us do.”

Though Kitty has always been self-assured, she is thrown for a spin navigating her feelings towards Yuri, Min Ho, and potential new loves and figuring out her family dynamics. While the series does focus on romance, Cathcart appreciates that the series touches on familial love and relationships. Kitty initially signed up for KISS to feel connected to her late mother, who had also attended the school.

“It’s so valuable in so many ways, especially in the context of family,” Cathcart says. “Kitty didn’t have a chance to get to know her mother in her own way, which is something that she has ownership over. It’s really special to see this character follow and chase after a love that isn’t romantic because we see her in that context so often.”

In the season 1 finale, Kitty learns about “Simon” in her mother’s letter to her former KISS roommate, Jina (Yunjin Kim). Who is this Simon? Was he her mother’s first love? Was he her best friend? Could he have been a lost family member?

Although Cathcart wouldn’t reveal much, she says Kitty’s exploration of this mystery reminded her how vital familial love can be.

“[Because of the mystery], we see Kitty be more vulnerable in a way that we got to a bit in season 1, but not in the same capacity as season 2,” she explains. “I also had a lot of fun with that as an actor, finding those vulnerable moments. We know Kitty is super perky and excited and very sure of herself a lot of the time, but when it comes to her mom, [they are the] tender parts of her heart [that] where she wavers in that confidence. That was fun to see as an actor, but I think [will be fun for] the viewers to see this character in a new way.”

Speaking of family, Yuri has her own problems as she returns from winter break fully “out” to her family and has been reunited with her girlfriend, Juliana. Though Kim says the family tension isn’t the main story for Yuri this season, it’s still important to highlight.

“Season 1 was a lot more arduous in trying to get accepted by your family and mom,” says Kim. “The tension between her and her mom was much more dramatized in season 1 than season 2, but we still see the residual tension.”

Now that Yuri is out, her sexuality isn’t at the forefront of her story anymore. Instead, she is navigating her life with a girlfriend, her family drama, and her complex feelings for Kitty. But you’d never know she is going through her own pain as Yuri becomes the person everyone depends on, constantly reassuring everyone that she forgets her mental health.

“Whenever I try to describe something that [Yuri] is going through, I [need to think about it],” Kim shares. “She’s juggling all the time. Yuri is someone who [says] everything is fine, but [is] dying [inside]. She doesn’t really have time or the opportunity to center herself amid this chaos.”

Though Juliana is Yuri’s first love, there is something there between Yuri and Kitty. Kim acknowledges Yuri’s role in Kitty’s bisexual awakening and is proud of it.

“Yuri is a force of life and charged into Kitty’s life,” Kim laughs. “For Yuri, Kitty is someone unlike anyone she knows. For both characters, we [question our hate and love for them] that grows over time. I love seeing it.”

Kim does say her favorite romantic trope is the idea of first loves, but that doesn’t mean she’s rooting for Yuri/Juliana. She explains, “First love is always going to have a special place in your heart all the time. Even now, I know who my first loves were, [but] I still don’t really know how to define my first love in a way because there are all different types of love that we experience for the first time.”

Choi agrees as a fan of first love and childhood love, which are sometimes intertwined. Those are his favorite kinds of stories. Though he doesn’t see Dae and Kitty reuniting as a couple—at least, not anytime soon—he knows they’ll always have fond memories together.

“I still believe that Dae and Kitty can be in a different kind of relationship than others, even though they’re just friends, [it’s] layered in the same way,” says Choi.

This season, Dae is finally thinking about what he wants for himself in life and how to move past Kitty. Choi reveals, “For season 2, I think [his priority for his family and friends] are still the same, but he’s trying to figure out a way he could think about himself and discover himself while keeping his family and friends happy. He’s trying to figure out what kind of things he likes to do and what kind of person he’s attracted to.”

As for fan-favorite Min Ho, we last saw the “bad boy” put himself out there to declare his love for Kitty in last season’s finale. Introduced as the arrogant rich kid of KISS, Min Ho warmed the hearts of fans, showcasing his sensitive, caring side, causing a subset of fans to root for a Min Ho and Kitty relationship—the classic “enemies to lovers” cliche.

“There’s always a good side in you,” he says about his character’s “bad boy” persona. “Min Ho would only show this side to [a certain group] of people. [He] doesn’t want to show everything, but slowly [does] towards his friends and people he’s willing to connect with. He’s trying to be more transparent with those people.”

Though Lee doesn’t reveal his preferred romantic trope, he keeps his idea of relationships simple, stating, “People see it as a math equation [that] is so hard to solve, but really—it’s just love, man.”

On top of his feelings for Kitty, Min Ho has a lot on his plate this season as the series introduces his famous K-pop manager father, Mr. Kang, known in the series as the “Kris Jenner of Korea.” There is a lot of resentment from Min Ho, whose father had never shown any interest in him and is suddenly back in his life.

“I would describe him as making amends with each relationship [this season],” says Lee. “He’s doing well for the season at least. He’s trying to get ready for new challenges. [Min Ho] is the type to tackle each challenge one by one, [not looking at the big] picture. [He’s] looking at the problem right in front of him and [tries] to solve it little by little. Once he does it, he sees a bigger picture, thinking, ‘Oh, this is what I’ve achieved so far with different people.’ He’s pretty much happy with it.”

Q (Keyvan), left heartbroken last season, returns as everyone’s best friend and is ready for his chaotic and emotional journey of love away from “Kitty’s matchmaking chaos.” And, one that involves his favorite trope: Enemies to Lovers, “Because it’s fun!”  

“It’s cool to see how Q is navigating a relationship that might not be well received by his friends and the people who care about him,” says Keyvan. “Because [his new love interest] is not so popular in our group, it’s cool to see how they let their guard down and make amends. For Q, especially dealing with a traumatic relationship in season 1, [what does] love look like for him?”

The series also finally showcases Q’s mixed-race background, reflecting Keyvan’s Filipino roots. This is a first for the actor, who has been in the industry since he was five. He thanks the showrunners and writers for adding a little piece of himself to the character.

“It was a dream come true in a way,” he says, “I’ve always played characters that are not similar to me in terms of my background, and to be a part of a cast and a show that not only amplifies those voices but also celebrates them, has been so special to me. [Getting to] talk about my Filipino heritage for the first time in my career through a character is just something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Though the series has a lot of love, lust, heartbreak, triangles, and potential relationships, the cast reveals that they never really talk about the romantic “ships” and “who was best for Kitty” from the show amongst each other, even in a joking manner.

“If we were to have one now,” Lee laughs.

“Now,” Kim humorously interrupts. “Do it now!”

Keyvan shouts, jokingly, “Fight!”

Lee continues, “If I ever had a discussion, I would say, ‘No. Let [Kitty] be.’ Let her choose what she wants. What do we have to say about this? This is her decision.”

Audiences will have to tune into XO Kitty to find out who when the second season premieres on January 16 on Netflix.