January 28, 2025 • 31 mins
This week, Tommy is joined by actress Anna Cathcart, star of the #1 smash-hit series XO, Kitty on Netflix. The series has taken over the world, first appearing in Netflix’s Top 10 in over 90 countries when it debuted. XO, Kitty is a spin-off of the streamer’s wildly popular franchise, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, which was based on the bestselling young adult trilogy. The series is often praised for unpacking issues that are top of mind for teens today. Everything from self acceptance to classism, to sometimes complicated relationships with parents to discovering one’s sexuality and more. Today, Anna opens up about how it feels to open up Netflix and see her face in the number one spot on the charts, the best and most challenging parts about growing up in the spotlight, the best advice she got from friends and co-stars Lana Condor and Janel Parrish, if she reads the fan edits and comments when a new season of her show drops, why she was nervous diving into some of the emotional and vulnerable scenes this season, what exploring Kitty’s sexuality means to her, if she is happy with how Season 2 ended, what it’s been like working with co-star Sang Heon Lee, what she wants to see happen in Season 3, if she views herself as successful after working in Hollywood for most of her life, what her biggest dream project is, how XO, Kitty almost was an entirely different concept, and so much more.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. So if you've turned on Netflix lately,
then you probably have seen the show XO Kitty sitting
in that coveted number one spot on the charts my
guest today while she is the star of Exokitty, the
wonderfully Talented an a Cafcart Now the series It's taken
(00:23):
over the world, first appearing in Netflix's top ten in
over ninety different countries when it's debuted, and it's a
spinoff of the streamer's wildly popular franchise To All the
Boys I've Loved Before, which was based on the best
selling young adult trilogy, of Course. So here's the backstory.
Anna plays eighteen matchmaker aka Kitty, who followed her heart
to an elite school in Soul. In season one, she
(00:47):
was on the quest for love. Now she's realizing that
life and love and family, well, as we all know,
it's way more complicated than she ever imagined. The series
is really cool because it's often praised for unpacking issues
that are top of mind for teens today. I mean
top of mind for a lot of people today, everything
from self acceptance to classes in too, sometimes complicated relationships
(01:09):
with parents, to discovering one sexuality and so much more.
And Anna is the heart and soul of this show.
And in this episode we get to celebrate her work
that means so much to so many, but we really
get to know who Anna is beyond the work that
she does. So let's see if today we can get
Anna to say something that she has never said before.
(01:36):
Anna Cathcart, how you doing, my friend.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I'm good. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me on
a show.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Oh my god, You've come with an entourage.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I have my fam here supporting me, which I'm very
lucky to have. It always helps, like have them on
these work trips.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So I love that I'm an Italian boy from New Jersey,
so like Italians like to travel in packs too, So
if like everyone could be in this room right now, they.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Would totally no.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I feel like my family to say, I'm like anywhere
they can come to, please bring them, that would be great.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh that's amazing. Well, welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
We have so much to cover today. Congratulations on season
two of the show. It's it's amazing. It's amazing. Is
it weird? Every time turning on Netflix and seeing it
in like the number one spot, there's there's my face.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's so surreal.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I still think like I don't know if it will
ever become normal, Like that feeling is so strange. And
it will sometimes come up like in the background, like
our TV will just be on and it'll come like
the preview of like oh, the new season just came
out whatever, and like like, that's that's me, that's there
I am. And like the weird thing is to think
about all the other TVs it's showing up. I'm like,
there's one of my friends like freaked me out the
other day, like the best way possible. But she was like,
(02:41):
you know how many people have Netflix and how many
people you look up to who have Netflix. She was like, Anna,
you could be like on Tom Holland TV, Like unintentionally,
I'm sure he's not, you know, an Exo Kitty's biggest fan,
but who knows. You never know it would be on
his Netflix screen. I'm like, that's so weird.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Like my face is just out there in the world.
It's very, very wild, very surreal.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Did you ever dream that you would be offered your
own spin off series. When you were in the movies,
you know, to all the boys about franchise, and then
suddenly you're getting a call like, hey, we want you
to lead your own show. I mean, have you wrapped
your head around that by season two?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, I honestly still haven't.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I feel like that sounds so cheesy, like it's just
like such a dream and doesn't feel real. But honestly, truly,
like when they first came up with the idea, I
thought it was joke. Like I think people say that
all the time, like, oh, we should do a spin
off for like, oh, we love this character, but like
you never, I don't know. I don't take it seriously,
especially with this industry, like everything is like never one
hundred percent for real, Like you can't Like I'm always
like I try to have trust issues honestly from this
(03:38):
job of being like, well like who knows until I'm
actually on set standing there, I don't believe it. And
this was totally one of those cases that it was
so many years of talking about it and hearing different things,
and then the day that I was actually on the
plane going to Korea during season one, I was just
like this is this is for real?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Like, I still like it hasn't sunk in.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Wow, that's humble though you're humble. You're a humble person.
So I'm sure maybe it won't ever sink in until
you're done and you'll be like, oh I did that.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah, when you look back on it in reflection, I
think it will sink in maybe in ten years, like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Good for you. That's amazing. Well, and what's so fascinating
to me with somebody like you as you're an artist
who very much has grown up in the spotlight, right,
Like you've grown up on camera. We've all gotten to
watch you grow up, and this is a very unconventional experience.
Most people grow up in the privacy of their own life, right,
So what's been the best part about that for you?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I mean, I think when I was a kid, like
when I was very young, I had dreamed about this
idea of becoming an actor, but it felt so surreal
and like not not reachable, like it was. I often
compare it to a kid wanting to be an astronaut,
or like dreaming of doing something just feels like that
only happens in dreamland. It's it's not like a true career,
So getting to achieve it as a kid in that mindset,
I think there was something really special where for many
(04:45):
years it was never a job. I didn't see it
as like, this is what I do for work. I'm like,
I'm twelve, this is what I do for fun, and
this is like this is so unbelievable that getting to
experience it in that stage when it wasn't really like
work yet, I think that was really special and really
valuable because it taught me so many things about like
why I'm passionate about this and why I love it,
and the pressures that you experienced in this industry as
(05:06):
an adult. I was lucky to not have those as
a kid, and I was really like fortunate to meet
good people as at a young age, because I know
it can obviously be a scary industry as well as
a young person.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
But I was really lucky to have that.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
So I just think getting to enter it at the
stage that I did was really beneficial for me. And
it kind of happened in a gradual way as well.
I was just talking about this with my mom actually yesterday,
saying that my career kind of happened in a linear
fashion of it like the recognition I got at the
very start versus the recognition I got three years in,
four years in now nine years in.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Was never like no one knew you. The next day
the whole world knew you.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I think that would have been really overwhelming to handle,
or like starting off with a really big project, a
really big budget like network would be really scary. But
I kind of did it in a gradual fashion that
I was lucky to kind of ease my way into
it a bit.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So I love looking back on it.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I just can't believe that, I don't know, the stuffs
that we took to get here was crazy.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So it's so interesting. That's such an interesting perspective that,
you know, you feel like had it been that overnight
kind of success or fame, it would have been a
different experience for you.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, no, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Probably overwhelming for sure.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I think I'm already quite overwhelmed and by this, and like,
I can't imagine for so many people when it is
that that way, when it is just like a one
like one hit blows up, everything goes crazy. I think, Yeah,
the like gradual entry of it was really helpful.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So what's been the more challenging aspect of that, I think.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Like balancing high school and regular life.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I was really determined to like stay in regular public
school and stay at home and be with my family
because I've always school's really important to me. I always
want to go to university after high school, and I
didn't want to lose that just because I was an actor.
And to keep that balance throughout so many years, starting
when you're so young, I think that was hard for sure,
But I also find it like because I had started
(06:55):
in elementary school, doing college now at the same time
almost makes it easier. That was like my trial run
have so many years, but it is weird. It's a
lot of pressures that you might not normally experience obviously
as like a regular high schooler. So there's a lot
of interesting parts that come with this job.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I imagine you have to keep yourself very grounded and
surround yourself with people who you know genuinely have your
best interest, right m.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I think staying in Vancouver, which is where I was
born and where I was like where I grew up,
staying there has definitely helped as well to have a
grounding space and to kind of come back to, like
I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Know what our family sees as like real life.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Sometimes, especially during high school, I kind of had my
like a plot B plot of I would go and
do my work life and go to LA and do
some event and then come home to like a math
test and just have to be a regular kid. And
I think having that was very grounding and helped a lot.
And I still try and keep that in my life
right now. But for sure, family has been a huge,
huge part.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Listen, mom did a good job. Mom did a good job.
I'm looking at her right now, probably from mom. I
love that. All right, So here we go back to
you landing this amazing show. You get the call. You're
the lead, obviously, Ilana Kundor when the movies was the
lead of those. Did you turn to her for any
advice when you got this? Do you still turn to
(08:07):
her for advice? Has she been like a mentor towards you?
What's that relationship?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Like?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, so funny.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
But I actually saw her today for the first time
in a really long time, which was an amazing reunion.
But definitely when the movies were happening, I was in
a very formative years of my life. It was the
summer between grade eight and grade nine is when we
shot the first twell the Boys, and I was learning
to become a teenager and looking up to these people
that were such amazing role models. To have that whole
cast who were all like five seven years older than me,
(08:35):
that was so formative for me looking back, just as
a person and as an actor, to learn like what
it meant to do this profession, what it meant to
be adult a teenager.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Like, just to have them as.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Like guiding lights was really huge, and still to have
them now is everything.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And to have Janelle as well.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Who was on this season, which was so special, and
just to like have them as role models truly has
made a really big impat.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Can you think of a single piece of advice that
is stuck with you from any of them?
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Yeah? I think something that Lana had taught me as
well as Janelle was the power of setting boundaries and
the power of learning when it's okay to say no,
when it's okay to put yourself first, and that you're
allowed to want your rest and you're allowed to just
like figuring out that balance of I think this is
a really taxing industry at times, and though we all
(09:24):
love it, so much and it's our dream to be here.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
It can be super exhausting.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It's okay to take a step back and like acknowledge
that and not feel ungrateful, because I think I often
get worried that like this is a job that so
many people would die to do, or like I'm like, oh,
I'm so great, like I should be so lucky, Like
why am I complaining if I'm tired? I'm like, there's there's.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Those can both coexist.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
You can be super grateful but also want to like
take a nap, like you can be really tired.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That's okay, this is a lot.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
And like think both of them were really great at
helping me realize that and learn that.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Isn't it funny how uncomfortable sometimes we feel saying no
or setting a boundary why right?
Speaker 3 (09:58):
For sure, I really struggle with that in a lot
of aspects of my life, but definitely with work, because
I also want to stay motivated, want to take the
next step, always keep going, but learning when it's way
more beneficial to say no, And that can be a
hard thing to teach your brain because you like more
is more. I'm like sometimes less is more, Like you
need to have the space for yourself to something I
remind myself to, like, I don't know, stay, stay as
(10:21):
calm as possible, to like, you need the rest so
you can do well and all the good things that
you get the chance to do. And if you never
take that rest, everything will be at fifty percent, and
that's not what we want either. And yeah, I think
that I really tried to learn when I was younger,
and it's definitely helped.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Yeah, because if your cup isn't filled all the way
to the top, how can you go out and do
your best work, or be a best friend, or be
a best daughter, be the best version of yourself?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Sometimes taking rest can be like the most productive thing
to do, which is a hard thing to.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Teach your brain.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I am so jealous you've learned this at this point
of your life, because here I am at thirty and
I'm like still trying to learn it and remember it.
And you know, in this industry, as we all know,
it's hard. It's hard in any industry, but it's something
you have to kind of keep reminding yourself up of, right, mm.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Hmmm, No, Yeah, it's an ongoing process. We're definitely still
in the thick of it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, for sure, for sure. So the new season is out,
how do you handle public reception? Like, are you someone
who reads comments?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Are you browsing the blogs? Or blogs still a thing?
Do your blogs exist?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Probably?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, the blogs, the Internet, the Facebook of the Instagram
and the TikTok but all of that, are you browsing
all of that? And like seeing what people are saying?
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I think it's so hard not to.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
I found myself with especially in the first few days
when the show just came out, going on TikTok and
searching excitaty and seeing the different edits and seeing people
because it was so exciting to see that the different
fans around the world are putting in their own time
and energy to create like collages of things or fun
edits or their theories of what could be happening, or
reading between the lines of specific scenes. And it's so
(11:50):
cool to see people invested in our characters and in
our show to the extent that they would make something
online is so cool to see. So I definitely will
get sucked into, like just scrolling on TikTok, so people
are making it. It's know that I see them and
I appreciate them.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
They mean a lot to me.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But sometimes I do think there's a point. Now, I'm like,
my for you page is just like me and my friends.
I'm like, I don't know if that's the healthiest thing
to be scrolling on, like as soon as you wake up,
before you go to bed, all images of it, Like
that's that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Yeah, yeah, So how do you know when to pull
back from it? Because I imagine it can be a little
bit of a you know, it could trick your mind
a little bit like are people saying good things? Are
they saying bad things? You know? I'm sure every once
in a while not great comment pops up totally. How
(12:37):
do you protect yourself while also enjoying the journey of
celebrating what you've accomplished and what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Honestly, that is a great question that I'm still trying
to find the answer to. I think something that's really
interesting about our brains is you could see one hundred
good comments, but one bad one is.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Going to stick with you alas always.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
And I always try and tell myself, like the fact
that I can see something that is so positive and
so kind, I'm like, oh, I don't know how much
they mean it, like they're just being nice, they just
want to say that. But if I see a negative comment,
I'm like, no, that is one hundred percent true, and
I'm sure they meant it with like every ants like
that's that right there? Shows how like fickle that is,
and that's just like made up of me focusing on
the negatives that I'm definitely in the process of figuring
(13:16):
that out, but I'm lucky for the most part. I
think the reception is really positive and Exo Kittie fans
are very warm, welcoming people.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
So it's a good community.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
No, what I announced you as my guest that we
were going to be recording, people went crazy, like crazy,
I'm like, are they going to show up? Like I
was a little worried about it for a minute, But
there's a lot of love for the show and for you,
and for good reason. I think what you guys put
out is so meaningful for so many different reasons, which
we'll get to this season. You're very vulnerable, Yeah we
see you cry quite a bit.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Yeah that was new for me. Yeah, I've never really
had to do that on screen. And Kitty got a
little bit emotional at the end of season one and
when she was figuring out her sexuality and coming to
that journey, that was the most vulnerable we've seen her.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
But this season and we go through that a.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Lot more of her kind of at her horror, crying
or breaking down or questioning things and wondering if she
messed up.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And I think something that I love about Kitty is
she's very brave.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
She's very courageous with her heart and she just like
goes for it. She goes after what she wants. So
to see someone with that personality trait question things and
not always be strong, I think it's just as important
and I think a really cool journey that fans get
to see her on this season. So that was kind
of nerve wracking for me too, though because I didn't.
I'm not as comfortable in that space. I've done a
lot of comedy in my past, and that is something
(14:28):
I'm really confident and love to explore with. But being
vulnerable and like crying on camera for the first time
and learning how to access as emotions, that was something
new for me, which I'm happy happy I got the chance.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Was it weird for you to get into that zone,
like the first day you knew, Okay, I have a
really emotional scene coming up.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I was so nervous.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yeah, yes, I will say I was so nervous. I
had like my headphones and I'm like asking all my
actual friends, like what do you do when you have
to cry? Or like literally looking up on Google, like
how do you make yourself cracks? Like accessing the emotions
like in your performance and your tone of voice.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
That's one thing, and that's.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Something that like I find really fun to deal with
and figure out. But the actual like act of creating tears,
it's so hard for me. It's something that was really
really stressful. And then also not like not being hard
on yourself, because I think I would get really.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Like why can I do this? Like I want to be.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
An actor, this is something that I should be able
to do, and I don't know. It is a tough
thing that I'm definitely learning. And it was interesting I
used like a tearstick for the first time, or a
tear like it's like this little mechanism like blow air
into your eye and that like all these tools to
help you that I'd never really used before. So that
was that was a really cool thing for Kitty and me.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, And what's so cool is you're ever growing, ever changing, right, So,
like that's a new experience for you right now, but
five years from now, you're probably gonna be like, oh
my god, it can access that emotion right away and
cry like that totally. That's what's so cool about being
an artist. You're not supposed to have it all figured
out all the time, like you need to grow.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
I appreciate that reminder for Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, I think that's really really cool. And you mentioned
kitty sexuality, which is such a meaningful thing for so
many people who watch the show, and she's still figuring
it all out and exploring it. To have that as
part of your storyline, I mean, do you feel like
you have this beautiful responsibility to represent a whole new,
new community that maybe you didn't think would be a
part of her story.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah. I was really excited that this show explores that,
and I think, especially with season two, we did it
so delicately. I think we were all really cautious of
like making sure it was something that was celebrated. And
Kitty's stress that came from her romantic experiences were stressful
because romance is messy at sixteen and she's a very
chaotic person and a lot's going on. But it wasn't
(16:39):
because she was queer. Wasn't because this experience was with
a girl for the first time, and any of those
topics they were embraced with curiosity, and Kitty starts the
season being very excited about it and like, this is
a new part of who I am and I just
discovered this, and I want to see what that is like,
and I want to explore that in my life and
I want to try dating girls like that.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
That whole storyline.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Does in an angle of love and curiosity, as well
as the people in Kitty's life also embrace it. I
think it's like equally important to have stories in media
where there might be a struggle with that, because that
is so often.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
The case, unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
But it's also so special to see when it's not,
when everyone in her life is like, cool, this is
great and this is a part of who you are.
When we get to see so many characters just accept it,
I think that's really really special to see it as
something positive.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think sometimes the story
for the queer community is a lot of doom and
gloom exactly and you know that is valid, but there's
also so much more than that. And I think the
way your show just normalizes it and make it such
makes it such a beautiful part of her journey is rare.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
And special, you know, totally.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Okay, we got to talk about this for a minute. Yes,
And this is a spoiler alert, So if you haven't
watched us yet, well what are you doing? Like, go
watch it? But the end of season two, you and
me and ho yep are together. You don't kiss? No,
were you supportive of that decision because a lot of
(18:04):
people thought there should or might be a kiss.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
There are a lot of comments saying where was the kiss?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
There's a lot of tiktoks of people like screaming in
their living rooms over this, which honestly brings me joy.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I think there is something special about like Kitty was
really taking taking like her time with her heart, I guess,
and figuring out what she wanted and what she needs
right now. And I love that we took the time
with that and explore kind of different areas to get
to that at the end of the season, and to
get to her and Mino, which a lot of fans
really excited about, which is really cool to see. But
(18:38):
I think, you know, if we're lucky enough to do
season three, we got to save something, we gotta say
something people to look forward to. And I really liked
their relationships this season. I think it really blossomed a lot,
and you got to see their true friendship, which was
really cool, and you know, showing up for Kitty in
a lot of ways, and Kitty getting to be vulnerable
in front of him, and I really like where that went.
And I think a lot of our scenes are some
(18:58):
of my favorites. So I'm glad people or feeling the
same way.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Is working with him just a dream. I mean, you
two have such great chemistry and it feels like a
true friendship totally.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I think it was really cool this season to see
how different it felt in season one, because season one,
we're all meeting each other for the very first time,
and you're jumping into this big, crazy scenario together and
you're figuring it out. And for him, it was his
first show for season one and he'd never acted before,
which was amazing, and he killed it. But this time
we were so much more comfortable to each other, of course,
and we knew to her so well and I have
(19:27):
so much love for him, and specifically doing the dream
sequence scenes, I think it made it very clear for
us that season one, the dream sequence, I gotta be honest,
it was very stressful. We were very stress We want
to make sure it was right. It felt awkward, it
was weird. Obviously, sometimes it's like intimate scenes can be
a little stressful, especially when you haven't shot something like
that before. And then this season, doing our dream sequence,
we were like literally dying of laughter. We had to
(19:49):
keep cutting because we kept looking at those eyes and
then just laughing because now it's someone that you're so
close to and you have so much love for, and
it just felt so different that I that helps a lot,
and you can see it on camera that our chemistry
is there and our closeness is there, So it helps
a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
So for season three if one comes around, which I mean,
why when't it? What's something you want to see that
maybe you haven't shared yet.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Oh okay, this is kind of funny, but our whole
cast has talked about this.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
I want to do a musical episode. I think it
would be so fun.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Do you sing well?
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I really would love to say yes.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I'm not the most confidence singer, but I think it's
so fun. I think a lot of our castmates are
incredible singers. So maybe Kitty's like the one who's just
dancing and like not singing as much. But we have
so many singers on our cast, and like Reagan's a rapper,
and we have so many talented people. A lot of
people dance as well that I'm like, this would be
so fun. I think it suits the show. Like I
can just picture it, like Kitty bumps your head and
(20:44):
now we're like in dream sequence land and then everybody's
singing and like dancing the cafeteria, Like I want to
have the highest musical moment where we're like at the
Kiss cafeteria dancing on the hallways.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think it suits it. I'm here for it to
the showrunners, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Like we're going to get you in singing shape. We're
gonna make it happen. No, no, auto t like we're
just gonna go for it.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You gotta start training, yes, but you dance?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
No?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Well I have, Like I used to dance a lot
in high school and I haven't done it as much recently,
but I did competitive like hip hop in high school,
and then I did Descendants, which was so fun. Getting
to explore like musical type of acting and type of
filming was just like that's a whole other element of magic,
and rehearsals was so much fun. So I would love
to get back into that space. And I think this
(21:24):
show would be so good for it.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You know what, I'm putting it out in the air
for you. We're gonna manifest it right now, a musical episode.
I'm here for it. You had some amazing cameos this
season in the show. The big question is will Lana
make an appearance in a potential season three? Have you
already been like blowing her up on the texting like, girl,
you gotta come on, what's what's happening? What's the status?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I think that would be so fun.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
I mean, I have no idea what the future of
the show really looks like, but Lana is killing it
and is booked and busy all the time, so we
would be so lucky to have her.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
But yeah, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Were you surprised at the cameos to see you knew
they were coming?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
I was, I didn't know they were coming.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Now I found out pretty last minute, like just a
few weeks before we were shooting that Noah was going
to be there.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I texted him and I was so so excited.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
And was so great to see him, and say, with Janelle,
I found out like really close to the time that
we were shooting that episode, and I love her so
much and i'd seen her more recently, so it was
so great to work with them again.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Oh, that was such a nice little breadcrumb for the
fans who loved the movies.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
You know, I love seeing their comparisons.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
I've seen a lot of videos of like Peter and
Kitty in the movies and then Peter and Kitty now
are like comparing our run to her hug and then
our run to her hug, and like it's so like
nostalgic for me to see it as well. It's crazy
because I was me and Noah figured this out, which
was really strange. But I am the age that Noah
was in the first movie, and that just like, I
don't know, it trips me out because at the time
I thought he was so old. I was like, you
(22:46):
are an adult, you have your life figured out. I'm
like he was my age. Like during the first movie.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
He was twenty one.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Wow, and that's so full circle that now I'm at
that stage of my life.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
That's so cool. Oh my god. You should be so
proud of everything you've come at your age and what
you've done and the person you seemingly you know, have
have seemed to hold on to throughout all of this
for you is rare. It's not easy. I mean, do
you have days where you're like, oh my god, Like
I am at this point in my life and I've
accomplished so much, Like do you view yourself as successful?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I think I'm like learning to try and give myself
credit more often. I think I often can fall into
like I'm just lucky to be here. I don't know
how I got here. I'm like, really not that cool.
I've been talking about with my family like a lot
this week. We've been doing a lot of press, and
there's a lot of attention on the show right now.
I'm always like how like me, like, how am I here?
And I'm like, I think that's just like the classic
(23:41):
imposter syndrome that I know a lot of my friends
have experienced as well, when you're doing something that you
still can't process that you're doing because it just feels
like something you still look up to and something that
felt so like out of reach that it is hard
to take a moment to be like, no, you're You're
allowed to own your accomplishments and know that you got
here because of hard work and because you deserve it.
And that fine balance coming back to the whole like
(24:03):
wanting to be humble and wanting to be like aware
of that, but also still taking up that space and
knowing that you deserve it is such a tough balance,
and I think I'm often like in fear of looking
conceited or sounding like I think I'm all that, and
that can sometime take away from also just knowing that
you deserve this and taking up space where you deserve to.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
So I'm very much in the process of figuring that out.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Okay, all right, Well, at least you're recognizing that you
deserve a seat at the table and everything that's come
your way as well deserved, And I mean, for what
it is worth, I think you're gonna have a career
for decades and decades and decades to come. Is there
a dream project for you, a dream role, a dream project,
a remake you would want to do?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Oh, my god, I have so many dreams. My dream
list is.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Very before out come on, Let's go.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I think one thing that I'm really dying to explore
is like a subtle kind of acting where so many
of the things that I've done recently, like XO Kitties
not acessarily in like regular life like it's very like
theatrical at moments, and it's it's fun and it's campy
at times, and there's k drama to it that it
doesn't feel like the style of acting where you're trying
(25:11):
to emulate like very realistic tone, very realistic timing, And
I think that's just such a cool, like artistic form
that I love watching. I think it'd be really fun
to do something in like a just a different like
style where it feels very realistic.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
But on the opposite end of that, back.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
To musicals, I love musicals, and I definitely to like
get on my singing training if I'm going to.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Tell the world that I wanted musicals.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
But the dream dream, truly, I don't know if you've
watched Tick Tack Boom is Andrew Garfield, he was not
a singer. He was not a singer, and then lin
Manuel Miranda trained this man for months and then he
became a singer and then he was the lead in
a musical. And I think Andrew Garfield is the coolest
person ever.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
But I'm like that that right there is the dream
I would love to do.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
That I would love to try, and I don't train
that part of this art and then do a musical
one day?
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Which musical? Which musical?
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Come?
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Come on?
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Talk to heanyk god? Okay?
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Well, as a fan, my favorite musical of life is
Dear Evan Hansen.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I'm just so obsessed. It's literally yes.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I saw it the reopening night of it after COVID
in New York and I was just sobbing and I
very rarely cry when watching something and I was like
just a complete mess. I was wearing a mask, it
was COVID. The whole thing was just like soaked through.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
But what I want to be And I love Hairspray.
I mean, hairstre would be so fun.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I think Penny, the role of Penny and Hairspray is like,
I don't know, I just see myself in that energy.
I think it'd be so much fun to do, so
who knows, maybe Limentlal Miranda will call me up one day.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's the dream.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, you know what, he might listen and there were
listening hit me up. There we go, There we go.
So as we wrap up, the name of the show
is called I've never said this before? Yes, And I
ask every guest this question. I work a lot of
red carpets and you know, junkets, which you get three minutes,
(26:58):
six minutes with somebody's not enough time to have a
real conversation. They're important, But you know, I love this.
I love sitting down with someone for half an hour
and really getting to talk about all things and bouncing
around and seeing where it goes. And I just think
that's so fulfilling. So I asked this question for people
to have the opportunity to share something whatever that means
to them that they want to share that maybe in
(27:18):
those moments they don't always get to talk about. So
what is one thing that you've never said before?
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I'm not gonna lie. I thought about this a lot
before this interview. I was like, what am I to say?
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Do?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I want to be like light, I want to be serious.
I was like asking my whole family, my team, like
all days yow. I was like, what do I what
do I say?
Speaker 3 (27:34):
And I, through this process of thinking hard about his answer,
I like.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Sparked a deep core memory.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I don't think I've ever shared this before, and I
think fans would be really interested to know, but I
have never said that. At the very beginning, Xokitty, originally
it wasn't even called Xokitty yet. It was just the
Kitty spin off was going to be based tot Adler
High which is the high school that Noah or that
Peter and Larajane go to, and it was going to
be based in Portland. It was just gonna be Kitty
going to that high school, and we had a whole
(28:00):
plotline kind of figured out. Then at one point we
moved along from that, and then it was going to
be based in Europe and Kitty was going to go
to international school in Europe. And for a while that
was the plan and that was what the show was
going to be, and then months later it turned into
Soeul and then everyone was really excited about that idea.
And I had kind of just been told these different
concepts and people were bouncing them around. And it also
(28:21):
been so many years of like the possibilities and figuring
it out until it actually became real. But yeah, then
we landed in Kiss in Seoul, But for a long time,
it was not supposed to be that, and I don't
think that was ever shared by anybody, So I hope
fans find the interesting.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
So what do you think was a deciding factor?
Speaker 4 (28:39):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I think the family connection of figuring out that that
would be a really cool storyline to explore Kitty finding
out about her mom and figuring out all these unanswered
questions that because her mom passed away when she was
so little and she has a very distant relationship from
her compared to her other sisters, having that aspect as
a part of the show wouldn't have really been able
to exist in these other localeations. So Soul really brought
(29:01):
that family part, and I think everyone.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Was really happy about that. So we went with it,
and I'm so happy we did.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
But I find it so interesting that shows can go
in so many different iterations in the preparing process.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And what was that process from those ideas bouncing around
to landing on where it is today? Like, how long
did you know about this project before it actually started
coming to fruition.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Yeah, when we were shooting the third movie, it was
brought up, but that was when I was still thinking
it was like a joke, Like I honestly did not
think it was real. And then when the second to
All the Boys movie premiered right around that time, that's
when it became official that it was like, contracts are real.
This is a genuine thing that is going to happen.
Casting is going to start at some point. And then
that was twenty twenty, and then it took a while
(29:42):
until we were actually on our feet. But it's crazy
to think about the whole process.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
That's amazing that got it turned out to be what
it is, because I don't know if it would have
been the same totally. You know, Yeah, I agree, Oh
my god, And I'm having so much fun with you.
I don't often get Mom in a room right now,
so I want Mom to come here first. Oh my god,
I guess I'm gonna ask mom a question as we
wrap this. Mom, get over here.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
This is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
All right, mom, My question for you is what is
the question what are you the most proud of When
you look at your daughter?
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Oh, she's gonna cry, I am, Oh my god, she's
already gonna cry.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Her Oh so many things. I guess I'm.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
The most proud of how she stayed grounded out of
all this stardom and all this attention she's getting. And
she's just my little Anna, and she's so sweet and
down to earth, and yeah, my husband and I, her
dad and I are so proud of her.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Thank you having fun well, Anna, it has been a pleasure.
Tell everybody how to watch your season two of your show.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yes, Exo Kidy Season two is officially out on Netflix,
so go watch it, and I hope you come.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Back when season three comes out, because it's going to happen,
and you're welcome back anytime.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Appreciate it was so great talking to you.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Thank you so much, Thank you. I've Never Said This
Before is hosted by me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is
executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by me Tommy,
with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before
is part of the Elvis Duran podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts.
(31:21):
For more, rate review and subscribe to our show. And
if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time.
I'm Tommy Dedario.
Hey guys, welcome to I've never said this before with
me Tommy di Dario. So if you've turned on Netflix lately,
then you probably have seen the show XO Kitty sitting
in that coveted number one spot on the charts my
guest today while she is the star of Exokitty, the
wonderfully Talented an a Cafcart Now the series It's taken
(00:23):
over the world, first appearing in Netflix's top ten in
over ninety different countries when it's debuted, and it's a
spinoff of the streamer's wildly popular franchise To All the
Boys I've Loved Before, which was based on the best
selling young adult trilogy, of Course. So here's the backstory.
Anna plays eighteen matchmaker aka Kitty, who followed her heart
to an elite school in Soul. In season one, she
(00:47):
was on the quest for love. Now she's realizing that
life and love and family, well, as we all know,
it's way more complicated than she ever imagined. The series
is really cool because it's often praised for unpacking issues
that are top of mind for teens today. I mean
top of mind for a lot of people today, everything
from self acceptance to classes in too, sometimes complicated relationships
(01:09):
with parents, to discovering one sexuality and so much more.
And Anna is the heart and soul of this show.
And in this episode we get to celebrate her work
that means so much to so many, but we really
get to know who Anna is beyond the work that
she does. So let's see if today we can get
Anna to say something that she has never said before.
(01:36):
Anna Cathcart, how you doing, my friend.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I'm good. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me on
a show.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Oh my god, You've come with an entourage.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I have my fam here supporting me, which I'm very
lucky to have. It always helps, like have them on
these work trips.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So I love that I'm an Italian boy from New Jersey,
so like Italians like to travel in packs too, So
if like everyone could be in this room right now, they.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Would totally no.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I feel like my family to say, I'm like anywhere
they can come to, please bring them, that would be great.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh that's amazing. Well, welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
We have so much to cover today. Congratulations on season
two of the show. It's it's amazing. It's amazing. Is
it weird? Every time turning on Netflix and seeing it
in like the number one spot, there's there's my face.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's so surreal.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I still think like I don't know if it will
ever become normal, Like that feeling is so strange. And
it will sometimes come up like in the background, like
our TV will just be on and it'll come like
the preview of like oh, the new season just came
out whatever, and like like, that's that's me, that's there
I am. And like the weird thing is to think
about all the other TVs it's showing up. I'm like,
there's one of my friends like freaked me out the
other day, like the best way possible. But she was like,
(02:41):
you know how many people have Netflix and how many
people you look up to who have Netflix. She was like, Anna,
you could be like on Tom Holland TV, Like unintentionally,
I'm sure he's not, you know, an Exo Kitty's biggest fan,
but who knows. You never know it would be on
his Netflix screen. I'm like, that's so weird.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Like my face is just out there in the world.
It's very, very wild, very surreal.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Did you ever dream that you would be offered your
own spin off series. When you were in the movies,
you know, to all the boys about franchise, and then
suddenly you're getting a call like, hey, we want you
to lead your own show. I mean, have you wrapped
your head around that by season two?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, I honestly still haven't.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I feel like that sounds so cheesy, like it's just
like such a dream and doesn't feel real. But honestly, truly,
like when they first came up with the idea, I
thought it was joke. Like I think people say that
all the time, like, oh, we should do a spin
off for like, oh, we love this character, but like
you never, I don't know. I don't take it seriously,
especially with this industry, like everything is like never one
hundred percent for real, Like you can't Like I'm always
like I try to have trust issues honestly from this
(03:38):
job of being like, well like who knows until I'm
actually on set standing there, I don't believe it. And
this was totally one of those cases that it was
so many years of talking about it and hearing different things,
and then the day that I was actually on the
plane going to Korea during season one, I was just
like this is this is for real?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Like, I still like it hasn't sunk in.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Wow, that's humble though you're humble. You're a humble person.
So I'm sure maybe it won't ever sink in until
you're done and you'll be like, oh I did that.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah, when you look back on it in reflection, I
think it will sink in maybe in ten years, like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Good for you. That's amazing. Well, and what's so fascinating
to me with somebody like you as you're an artist
who very much has grown up in the spotlight, right,
Like you've grown up on camera. We've all gotten to
watch you grow up, and this is a very unconventional experience.
Most people grow up in the privacy of their own life, right,
So what's been the best part about that for you?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I mean, I think when I was a kid, like
when I was very young, I had dreamed about this
idea of becoming an actor, but it felt so surreal
and like not not reachable, like it was. I often
compare it to a kid wanting to be an astronaut,
or like dreaming of doing something just feels like that
only happens in dreamland. It's it's not like a true career,
So getting to achieve it as a kid in that mindset,
I think there was something really special where for many
(04:45):
years it was never a job. I didn't see it
as like, this is what I do for work. I'm like,
I'm twelve, this is what I do for fun, and
this is like this is so unbelievable that getting to
experience it in that stage when it wasn't really like
work yet, I think that was really special and really
valuable because it taught me so many things about like
why I'm passionate about this and why I love it,
and the pressures that you experienced in this industry as
(05:06):
an adult. I was lucky to not have those as
a kid, and I was really like fortunate to meet
good people as at a young age, because I know
it can obviously be a scary industry as well as
a young person.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
But I was really lucky to have that.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
So I just think getting to enter it at the
stage that I did was really beneficial for me. And
it kind of happened in a gradual way as well.
I was just talking about this with my mom actually yesterday,
saying that my career kind of happened in a linear
fashion of it like the recognition I got at the
very start versus the recognition I got three years in,
four years in now nine years in.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Was never like no one knew you. The next day
the whole world knew you.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I think that would have been really overwhelming to handle,
or like starting off with a really big project, a
really big budget like network would be really scary. But
I kind of did it in a gradual fashion that
I was lucky to kind of ease my way into
it a bit.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So I love looking back on it.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I just can't believe that, I don't know, the stuffs
that we took to get here was crazy.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So it's so interesting. That's such an interesting perspective that,
you know, you feel like had it been that overnight
kind of success or fame, it would have been a
different experience for you.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, no, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Probably overwhelming for sure.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I think I'm already quite overwhelmed and by this, and like,
I can't imagine for so many people when it is
that that way, when it is just like a one
like one hit blows up, everything goes crazy. I think, Yeah,
the like gradual entry of it was really helpful.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So what's been the more challenging aspect of that, I think.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Like balancing high school and regular life.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I was really determined to like stay in regular public
school and stay at home and be with my family
because I've always school's really important to me. I always
want to go to university after high school, and I
didn't want to lose that just because I was an actor.
And to keep that balance throughout so many years, starting
when you're so young, I think that was hard for sure,
But I also find it like because I had started
(06:55):
in elementary school, doing college now at the same time
almost makes it easier. That was like my trial run
have so many years, but it is weird. It's a
lot of pressures that you might not normally experience obviously
as like a regular high schooler. So there's a lot
of interesting parts that come with this job.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I imagine you have to keep yourself very grounded and
surround yourself with people who you know genuinely have your
best interest, right m.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I think staying in Vancouver, which is where I was
born and where I was like where I grew up,
staying there has definitely helped as well to have a
grounding space and to kind of come back to, like
I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Know what our family sees as like real life.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Sometimes, especially during high school, I kind of had my
like a plot B plot of I would go and
do my work life and go to LA and do
some event and then come home to like a math
test and just have to be a regular kid. And
I think having that was very grounding and helped a lot.
And I still try and keep that in my life
right now. But for sure, family has been a huge,
huge part.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Listen, mom did a good job. Mom did a good job.
I'm looking at her right now, probably from mom. I
love that. All right, So here we go back to
you landing this amazing show. You get the call. You're
the lead, obviously, Ilana Kundor when the movies was the
lead of those. Did you turn to her for any
advice when you got this? Do you still turn to
(08:07):
her for advice? Has she been like a mentor towards you?
What's that relationship?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Like?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, so funny.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
But I actually saw her today for the first time
in a really long time, which was an amazing reunion.
But definitely when the movies were happening, I was in
a very formative years of my life. It was the
summer between grade eight and grade nine is when we
shot the first twell the Boys, and I was learning
to become a teenager and looking up to these people
that were such amazing role models. To have that whole
cast who were all like five seven years older than me,
(08:35):
that was so formative for me looking back, just as
a person and as an actor, to learn like what
it meant to do this profession, what it meant to
be adult a teenager.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Like, just to have them as.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Like guiding lights was really huge, and still to have
them now is everything.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And to have Janelle as well.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Who was on this season, which was so special, and
just to like have them as role models truly has
made a really big impat.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Can you think of a single piece of advice that
is stuck with you from any of them?
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Yeah? I think something that Lana had taught me as
well as Janelle was the power of setting boundaries and
the power of learning when it's okay to say no,
when it's okay to put yourself first, and that you're
allowed to want your rest and you're allowed to just
like figuring out that balance of I think this is
a really taxing industry at times, and though we all
(09:24):
love it, so much and it's our dream to be here.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
It can be super exhausting.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It's okay to take a step back and like acknowledge
that and not feel ungrateful, because I think I often
get worried that like this is a job that so
many people would die to do, or like I'm like, oh,
I'm so great, like I should be so lucky, Like
why am I complaining if I'm tired? I'm like, there's there's.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Those can both coexist.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
You can be super grateful but also want to like
take a nap, like you can be really tired.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That's okay, this is a lot.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
And like think both of them were really great at
helping me realize that and learn that.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Isn't it funny how uncomfortable sometimes we feel saying no
or setting a boundary why right?
Speaker 3 (09:58):
For sure, I really struggle with that in a lot
of aspects of my life, but definitely with work, because
I also want to stay motivated, want to take the
next step, always keep going, but learning when it's way
more beneficial to say no, And that can be a
hard thing to teach your brain because you like more
is more. I'm like sometimes less is more, Like you
need to have the space for yourself to something I
remind myself to, like, I don't know, stay, stay as
(10:21):
calm as possible, to like, you need the rest so
you can do well and all the good things that
you get the chance to do. And if you never
take that rest, everything will be at fifty percent, and
that's not what we want either. And yeah, I think
that I really tried to learn when I was younger,
and it's definitely helped.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Yeah, because if your cup isn't filled all the way
to the top, how can you go out and do
your best work, or be a best friend, or be
a best daughter, be the best version of yourself?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Right exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Sometimes taking rest can be like the most productive thing
to do, which is a hard thing to.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Teach your brain.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I am so jealous you've learned this at this point
of your life, because here I am at thirty and
I'm like still trying to learn it and remember it.
And you know, in this industry, as we all know,
it's hard. It's hard in any industry, but it's something
you have to kind of keep reminding yourself up of, right, mm.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Hmmm, No, Yeah, it's an ongoing process. We're definitely still
in the thick of it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, for sure, for sure. So the new season is out,
how do you handle public reception? Like, are you someone
who reads comments?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Like?
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Are you browsing the blogs? Or blogs still a thing?
Do your blogs exist?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Probably?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, the blogs, the Internet, the Facebook of the Instagram
and the TikTok but all of that, are you browsing
all of that? And like seeing what people are saying?
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I think it's so hard not to.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
I found myself with especially in the first few days
when the show just came out, going on TikTok and
searching excitaty and seeing the different edits and seeing people
because it was so exciting to see that the different
fans around the world are putting in their own time
and energy to create like collages of things or fun
edits or their theories of what could be happening, or
reading between the lines of specific scenes. And it's so
(11:50):
cool to see people invested in our characters and in
our show to the extent that they would make something
online is so cool to see. So I definitely will
get sucked into, like just scrolling on TikTok, so people
are making it. It's know that I see them and
I appreciate them.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
They mean a lot to me.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But sometimes I do think there's a point. Now, I'm like,
my for you page is just like me and my friends.
I'm like, I don't know if that's the healthiest thing
to be scrolling on, like as soon as you wake up,
before you go to bed, all images of it, Like
that's that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Yeah, yeah, So how do you know when to pull
back from it? Because I imagine it can be a little
bit of a you know, it could trick your mind
a little bit like are people saying good things? Are
they saying bad things? You know? I'm sure every once
in a while not great comment pops up totally. How
(12:37):
do you protect yourself while also enjoying the journey of
celebrating what you've accomplished and what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Honestly, that is a great question that I'm still trying
to find the answer to. I think something that's really
interesting about our brains is you could see one hundred
good comments, but one bad one is.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Going to stick with you alas always.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
And I always try and tell myself, like the fact
that I can see something that is so positive and
so kind, I'm like, oh, I don't know how much
they mean it, like they're just being nice, they just
want to say that. But if I see a negative comment,
I'm like, no, that is one hundred percent true, and
I'm sure they meant it with like every ants like
that's that right there? Shows how like fickle that is,
and that's just like made up of me focusing on
the negatives that I'm definitely in the process of figuring
(13:16):
that out, but I'm lucky for the most part. I
think the reception is really positive and Exo Kittie fans
are very warm, welcoming people.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
So it's a good community.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
No, what I announced you as my guest that we
were going to be recording, people went crazy, like crazy,
I'm like, are they going to show up? Like I
was a little worried about it for a minute, But
there's a lot of love for the show and for you,
and for good reason. I think what you guys put
out is so meaningful for so many different reasons, which
we'll get to this season. You're very vulnerable, Yeah we
see you cry quite a bit.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Yeah that was new for me. Yeah, I've never really
had to do that on screen. And Kitty got a
little bit emotional at the end of season one and
when she was figuring out her sexuality and coming to
that journey, that was the most vulnerable we've seen her.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
But this season and we go through that a.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Lot more of her kind of at her horror, crying
or breaking down or questioning things and wondering if she
messed up.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And I think something that I love about Kitty is
she's very brave.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
She's very courageous with her heart and she just like
goes for it. She goes after what she wants. So
to see someone with that personality trait question things and
not always be strong, I think it's just as important
and I think a really cool journey that fans get
to see her on this season. So that was kind
of nerve wracking for me too, though because I didn't.
I'm not as comfortable in that space. I've done a
lot of comedy in my past, and that is something
(14:28):
I'm really confident and love to explore with. But being
vulnerable and like crying on camera for the first time
and learning how to access as emotions, that was something
new for me, which I'm happy happy I got the chance.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Was it weird for you to get into that zone,
like the first day you knew, Okay, I have a
really emotional scene coming up.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I was so nervous.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yeah, yes, I will say I was so nervous. I
had like my headphones and I'm like asking all my
actual friends, like what do you do when you have
to cry? Or like literally looking up on Google, like
how do you make yourself cracks? Like accessing the emotions
like in your performance and your tone of voice.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
That's one thing, and that's.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Something that like I find really fun to deal with
and figure out. But the actual like act of creating tears,
it's so hard for me. It's something that was really
really stressful. And then also not like not being hard
on yourself, because I think I would get really.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Like why can I do this? Like I want to be.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
An actor, this is something that I should be able
to do, and I don't know. It is a tough
thing that I'm definitely learning. And it was interesting I
used like a tearstick for the first time, or a
tear like it's like this little mechanism like blow air
into your eye and that like all these tools to
help you that I'd never really used before. So that
was that was a really cool thing for Kitty and me.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, And what's so cool is you're ever growing, ever changing, right, So,
like that's a new experience for you right now, but
five years from now, you're probably gonna be like, oh
my god, it can access that emotion right away and
cry like that totally. That's what's so cool about being
an artist. You're not supposed to have it all figured
out all the time, like you need to grow.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
I appreciate that reminder for Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, I think that's really really cool. And you mentioned
kitty sexuality, which is such a meaningful thing for so
many people who watch the show, and she's still figuring
it all out and exploring it. To have that as
part of your storyline, I mean, do you feel like
you have this beautiful responsibility to represent a whole new,
new community that maybe you didn't think would be a
part of her story.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah. I was really excited that this show explores that,
and I think, especially with season two, we did it
so delicately. I think we were all really cautious of
like making sure it was something that was celebrated. And
Kitty's stress that came from her romantic experiences were stressful
because romance is messy at sixteen and she's a very
chaotic person and a lot's going on. But it wasn't
(16:39):
because she was queer. Wasn't because this experience was with
a girl for the first time, and any of those
topics they were embraced with curiosity, and Kitty starts the
season being very excited about it and like, this is
a new part of who I am and I just
discovered this, and I want to see what that is like,
and I want to explore that in my life and
I want to try dating girls like that.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
That whole storyline.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Does in an angle of love and curiosity, as well
as the people in Kitty's life also embrace it. I
think it's like equally important to have stories in media
where there might be a struggle with that, because that
is so often.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
The case, unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
But it's also so special to see when it's not,
when everyone in her life is like, cool, this is
great and this is a part of who you are.
When we get to see so many characters just accept it,
I think that's really really special to see it as
something positive.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think sometimes the story
for the queer community is a lot of doom and
gloom exactly and you know that is valid, but there's
also so much more than that. And I think the
way your show just normalizes it and make it such
makes it such a beautiful part of her journey is rare.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
And special, you know, totally.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Okay, we got to talk about this for a minute. Yes,
And this is a spoiler alert, So if you haven't
watched us yet, well what are you doing? Like, go
watch it? But the end of season two, you and
me and ho yep are together. You don't kiss? No,
were you supportive of that decision because a lot of
(18:04):
people thought there should or might be a kiss.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
There are a lot of comments saying where was the kiss?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
There's a lot of tiktoks of people like screaming in
their living rooms over this, which honestly brings me joy.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I think there is something special about like Kitty was
really taking taking like her time with her heart, I guess,
and figuring out what she wanted and what she needs
right now. And I love that we took the time
with that and explore kind of different areas to get
to that at the end of the season, and to
get to her and Mino, which a lot of fans
really excited about, which is really cool to see. But
(18:38):
I think, you know, if we're lucky enough to do
season three, we got to save something, we gotta say
something people to look forward to. And I really liked
their relationships this season. I think it really blossomed a lot,
and you got to see their true friendship, which was
really cool, and you know, showing up for Kitty in
a lot of ways, and Kitty getting to be vulnerable
in front of him, and I really like where that went.
And I think a lot of our scenes are some
(18:58):
of my favorites. So I'm glad people or feeling the
same way.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Is working with him just a dream. I mean, you
two have such great chemistry and it feels like a
true friendship totally.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I think it was really cool this season to see
how different it felt in season one, because season one,
we're all meeting each other for the very first time,
and you're jumping into this big, crazy scenario together and
you're figuring it out. And for him, it was his
first show for season one and he'd never acted before,
which was amazing, and he killed it. But this time
we were so much more comfortable to each other, of course,
and we knew to her so well and I have
(19:27):
so much love for him, and specifically doing the dream
sequence scenes, I think it made it very clear for
us that season one, the dream sequence, I gotta be honest,
it was very stressful. We were very stress We want
to make sure it was right. It felt awkward, it
was weird. Obviously, sometimes it's like intimate scenes can be
a little stressful, especially when you haven't shot something like
that before. And then this season, doing our dream sequence,
we were like literally dying of laughter. We had to
(19:49):
keep cutting because we kept looking at those eyes and
then just laughing because now it's someone that you're so
close to and you have so much love for, and
it just felt so different that I that helps a lot,
and you can see it on camera that our chemistry
is there and our closeness is there, So it helps
a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
So for season three if one comes around, which I mean,
why when't it? What's something you want to see that
maybe you haven't shared yet.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Oh okay, this is kind of funny, but our whole
cast has talked about this.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
I want to do a musical episode. I think it
would be so fun.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Do you sing well?
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I really would love to say yes.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I'm not the most confidence singer, but I think it's
so fun. I think a lot of our castmates are
incredible singers. So maybe Kitty's like the one who's just
dancing and like not singing as much. But we have
so many singers on our cast, and like Reagan's a rapper,
and we have so many talented people. A lot of
people dance as well that I'm like, this would be
so fun. I think it suits the show. Like I
can just picture it, like Kitty bumps your head and
(20:44):
now we're like in dream sequence land and then everybody's
singing and like dancing the cafeteria, Like I want to
have the highest musical moment where we're like at the
Kiss cafeteria dancing on the hallways.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think it suits it. I'm here for it to
the showrunners, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Like we're going to get you in singing shape. We're
gonna make it happen. No, no, auto t like we're
just gonna go for it.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You gotta start training, yes, but you dance?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
No?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Well I have, Like I used to dance a lot
in high school and I haven't done it as much recently,
but I did competitive like hip hop in high school,
and then I did Descendants, which was so fun. Getting
to explore like musical type of acting and type of
filming was just like that's a whole other element of magic,
and rehearsals was so much fun. So I would love
to get back into that space. And I think this
(21:24):
show would be so good for it.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You know what, I'm putting it out in the air
for you. We're gonna manifest it right now, a musical episode.
I'm here for it. You had some amazing cameos this
season in the show. The big question is will Lana
make an appearance in a potential season three? Have you
already been like blowing her up on the texting like, girl,
you gotta come on, what's what's happening? What's the status?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I think that would be so fun.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
I mean, I have no idea what the future of
the show really looks like, but Lana is killing it
and is booked and busy all the time, so we
would be so lucky to have her.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
But yeah, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Were you surprised at the cameos to see you knew
they were coming?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
I was, I didn't know they were coming.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Now I found out pretty last minute, like just a
few weeks before we were shooting that Noah was going
to be there.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I texted him and I was so so excited.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
And was so great to see him, and say, with Janelle,
I found out like really close to the time that
we were shooting that episode, and I love her so
much and i'd seen her more recently, so it was
so great to work with them again.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Oh, that was such a nice little breadcrumb for the
fans who loved the movies.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
You know, I love seeing their comparisons.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
I've seen a lot of videos of like Peter and
Kitty in the movies and then Peter and Kitty now
are like comparing our run to her hug and then
our run to her hug, and like it's so like
nostalgic for me to see it as well. It's crazy
because I was me and Noah figured this out, which
was really strange. But I am the age that Noah
was in the first movie, and that just like, I
don't know, it trips me out because at the time
I thought he was so old. I was like, you
(22:46):
are an adult, you have your life figured out. I'm
like he was my age. Like during the first movie.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
He was twenty one.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Wow, and that's so full circle that now I'm at
that stage of my life.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
That's so cool. Oh my god. You should be so
proud of everything you've come at your age and what
you've done and the person you seemingly you know, have
have seemed to hold on to throughout all of this
for you is rare. It's not easy. I mean, do
you have days where you're like, oh my god, Like
I am at this point in my life and I've
accomplished so much, Like do you view yourself as successful?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I think I'm like learning to try and give myself
credit more often. I think I often can fall into
like I'm just lucky to be here. I don't know
how I got here. I'm like, really not that cool.
I've been talking about with my family like a lot
this week. We've been doing a lot of press, and
there's a lot of attention on the show right now.
I'm always like how like me, like, how am I here?
And I'm like, I think that's just like the classic
(23:41):
imposter syndrome that I know a lot of my friends
have experienced as well, when you're doing something that you
still can't process that you're doing because it just feels
like something you still look up to and something that
felt so like out of reach that it is hard
to take a moment to be like, no, you're You're
allowed to own your accomplishments and know that you got
here because of hard work and because you deserve it.
And that fine balance coming back to the whole like
(24:03):
wanting to be humble and wanting to be like aware
of that, but also still taking up that space and
knowing that you deserve it is such a tough balance,
and I think I'm often like in fear of looking
conceited or sounding like I think I'm all that, and
that can sometime take away from also just knowing that
you deserve this and taking up space where you deserve to.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
So I'm very much in the process of figuring that out.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Okay, all right, Well, at least you're recognizing that you
deserve a seat at the table and everything that's come
your way as well deserved, And I mean, for what
it is worth, I think you're gonna have a career
for decades and decades and decades to come. Is there
a dream project for you, a dream role, a dream project,
a remake you would want to do?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Oh, my god, I have so many dreams. My dream
list is.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Very before out come on, Let's go.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I think one thing that I'm really dying to explore
is like a subtle kind of acting where so many
of the things that I've done recently, like XO Kitties
not acessarily in like regular life like it's very like
theatrical at moments, and it's it's fun and it's campy
at times, and there's k drama to it that it
doesn't feel like the style of acting where you're trying
(25:11):
to emulate like very realistic tone, very realistic timing, And
I think that's just such a cool, like artistic form
that I love watching. I think it'd be really fun
to do something in like a just a different like
style where it feels very realistic.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
But on the opposite end of that, back.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
To musicals, I love musicals, and I definitely to like
get on my singing training if I'm going to.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Tell the world that I wanted musicals.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
But the dream dream, truly, I don't know if you've
watched Tick Tack Boom is Andrew Garfield, he was not
a singer. He was not a singer, and then lin
Manuel Miranda trained this man for months and then he
became a singer and then he was the lead in
a musical. And I think Andrew Garfield is the coolest
person ever.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
But I'm like that that right there is the dream
I would love to do.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
That I would love to try, and I don't train
that part of this art and then do a musical
one day?
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Which musical? Which musical?
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Come?
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Come on?
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Talk to heanyk god? Okay?
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Well, as a fan, my favorite musical of life is
Dear Evan Hansen.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I'm just so obsessed. It's literally yes.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I saw it the reopening night of it after COVID
in New York and I was just sobbing and I
very rarely cry when watching something and I was like
just a complete mess. I was wearing a mask, it
was COVID. The whole thing was just like soaked through.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
But what I want to be And I love Hairspray.
I mean, hairstre would be so fun.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I think Penny, the role of Penny and Hairspray is like,
I don't know, I just see myself in that energy.
I think it'd be so much fun to do, so
who knows, maybe Limentlal Miranda will call me up one day.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's the dream.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, you know what, he might listen and there were
listening hit me up. There we go, There we go.
So as we wrap up, the name of the show
is called I've never said this before? Yes, And I
ask every guest this question. I work a lot of
red carpets and you know, junkets, which you get three minutes,
(26:58):
six minutes with somebody's not enough time to have a
real conversation. They're important, But you know, I love this.
I love sitting down with someone for half an hour
and really getting to talk about all things and bouncing
around and seeing where it goes. And I just think
that's so fulfilling. So I asked this question for people
to have the opportunity to share something whatever that means
to them that they want to share that maybe in
(27:18):
those moments they don't always get to talk about. So
what is one thing that you've never said before?
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I'm not gonna lie. I thought about this a lot
before this interview. I was like, what am I to say?
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Do?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I want to be like light, I want to be serious.
I was like asking my whole family, my team, like
all days yow. I was like, what do I what
do I say?
Speaker 3 (27:34):
And I, through this process of thinking hard about his answer,
I like.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Sparked a deep core memory.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I don't think I've ever shared this before, and I
think fans would be really interested to know, but I
have never said that. At the very beginning, Xokitty, originally
it wasn't even called Xokitty yet. It was just the
Kitty spin off was going to be based tot Adler
High which is the high school that Noah or that
Peter and Larajane go to, and it was going to
be based in Portland. It was just gonna be Kitty
going to that high school, and we had a whole
(28:00):
plotline kind of figured out. Then at one point we
moved along from that, and then it was going to
be based in Europe and Kitty was going to go
to international school in Europe. And for a while that
was the plan and that was what the show was
going to be, and then months later it turned into
Soeul and then everyone was really excited about that idea.
And I had kind of just been told these different
concepts and people were bouncing them around. And it also
(28:21):
been so many years of like the possibilities and figuring
it out until it actually became real. But yeah, then
we landed in Kiss in Seoul, But for a long time,
it was not supposed to be that, and I don't
think that was ever shared by anybody, So I hope
fans find the interesting.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
So what do you think was a deciding factor?
Speaker 4 (28:39):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I think the family connection of figuring out that that
would be a really cool storyline to explore Kitty finding
out about her mom and figuring out all these unanswered
questions that because her mom passed away when she was
so little and she has a very distant relationship from
her compared to her other sisters, having that aspect as
a part of the show wouldn't have really been able
to exist in these other localeations. So Soul really brought
(29:01):
that family part, and I think everyone.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Was really happy about that. So we went with it,
and I'm so happy we did.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
But I find it so interesting that shows can go
in so many different iterations in the preparing process.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And what was that process from those ideas bouncing around
to landing on where it is today? Like, how long
did you know about this project before it actually started
coming to fruition.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Yeah, when we were shooting the third movie, it was
brought up, but that was when I was still thinking
it was like a joke, Like I honestly did not
think it was real. And then when the second to
All the Boys movie premiered right around that time, that's
when it became official that it was like, contracts are real.
This is a genuine thing that is going to happen.
Casting is going to start at some point. And then
that was twenty twenty, and then it took a while
(29:42):
until we were actually on our feet. But it's crazy
to think about the whole process.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
That's amazing that got it turned out to be what
it is, because I don't know if it would have
been the same totally. You know, Yeah, I agree, Oh
my god, And I'm having so much fun with you.
I don't often get Mom in a room right now,
so I want Mom to come here first. Oh my god,
I guess I'm gonna ask mom a question as we
wrap this. Mom, get over here.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
This is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
All right, mom, My question for you is what is
the question what are you the most proud of When
you look at your daughter?
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Oh, she's gonna cry, I am, Oh my god, she's
already gonna cry.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Her Oh so many things. I guess I'm.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
The most proud of how she stayed grounded out of
all this stardom and all this attention she's getting. And
she's just my little Anna, and she's so sweet and
down to earth, and yeah, my husband and I, her
dad and I are so proud of her.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Thank you having fun well, Anna, it has been a pleasure.
Tell everybody how to watch your season two of your show.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yes, Exo Kidy Season two is officially out on Netflix,
so go watch it, and I hope you come.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Back when season three comes out, because it's going to happen,
and you're welcome back anytime.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Appreciate it was so great talking to you.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Thank you so much, Thank you. I've Never Said This
Before is hosted by me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is
executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by me Tommy,
with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before
is part of the Elvis Duran podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts.
(31:21):
For more, rate review and subscribe to our show. And
if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time.
I'm Tommy Dedario.
Host
Tommy DiDario
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