Before entering college, Anna Cathcart spent a year working on XO, Kitty, the highly anticipated spin-off of Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. Luckily, filming with her co-stars in South Korea provided a dorm-like experience. “We were all staying in the same hotel,” Cathcart said on Zoom. "It definitely adds to the atmosphere of, 'Oh, after get off work, we all go to someone's room and eat fried chicken and play board games.'"
In "XO, Katie," the titular teen Cathcart, the last daughter of the Soong family, decides to transfer to KISS, a Korean independent school in Seoul, a Zoey 101 -style boarding school where she has My late mother once studied there. The 19-year-old actor said that while her on-screen sisters, Kitty Janelle Parrish (Margot) and Lana Condor (Lara Jean), don't appear in "XO," ) are still like family.
"When I first found out [the spin-off] was going to happen, I FaceTimed Janel," Cathcart said. “It helps to have people that I can respect and rely on who have been in this position before.”
Cathcart was 14 when she first played Katie, so she was very familiar with the character: a precocious teen with a knack for matchmaking and a desire to chart her own course as the baby of the family. But XO, Kitty still created some firsts. So far, it's the only entry in the ever-expanding Jenny Han cinematic universe that doesn't have its own book, although To All the Boys author Jenny Han is a co-showrunner. Kitty is also unique in that she 's the first Soong-Covey daughter to have not just boy problems, but girl problems as well—in the final moments of the season, she all but admitted her feelings for classmate Yuri (Gia Kim) )Feelings.
"I personally love that at the end of the season, she doesn't go back to, 'Oh, yeah, I know what happened. I feel confident in love again,'" Cathcart said of Kitty exploring her sexuality. "Like, I still don't know what's going on. That's okay. It's part of growing up."
Despite delays caused by Cathcart's filming schedule, the actor started her first year at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where she studies sociology and creative writing — and even in the middle of finals, she was smiling Talk about this. School is always a priority, she said, and her family is full of UBC alumni. Now, it's her turn.
“One time in a [creative writing] class, they used ‘To All the Boys’ as an example, and it was a complete fluke,” Cathcart recalls. "I was sitting there, thinking, What's going on? Should I tell my professor? It's hilarious. It was such a weird, world-colliding moment."
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Learn more about Cathcart in the Bustle Booth questionnaire below.
in a noisy stall
What was your coffee order?
I actually don't drink coffee. I'm a big milkshake girl.
What weather locations are saved on your phone?
Vancouver, Toronto, Seoul, Los Angeles, London, Broadbeach, New York, Zurich, Montreal, Guam, Portland, Nashville.
What is your logo?
Gemini. There is also the sheep in the Chinese zodiac!
Favorite overused movie line?
"We're All In This Together" - High School Musical.
What was your favorite cartoon as a child?
Dora the Explorer. I have Dora stickers on my walls, a Dora toy kitchen, Dora pajamas, and just about anything Dora.
What’s a movie or TV show that you’re currently obsessed with?
this is us. The writing, the casting, the editing, the cinematography - I've never seen a show like this and I'm sure I'll be hooked on it forever!
Who is your celebrity idol?
Zendaya! I've been in love with her since her "Shake It Up" days. Seriously - when I was in elementary school, I had a poster of her on my wall.
If you had to be on a reality show, what would you choose?
Great Canadian Baking Show… not that I bake well. Maybe I can be the host?
Karaoke songs you often listen to?
"Baby" by Justin Bieber.
What has inspired you recently?
Going to college! Not only inspired by what I learned in class, but also by the environment on campus and being surrounded by so many people doing different things and discovering their passions.
How would you like people to describe you?
I'm the kind of person who waits for you to tie your shoes while everyone else keeps walking.
