Kitty is all grown-up, but so is her real-life persona, Anna Cathcart.
The young actress’ first steps into the universe of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before started when she was cast at the age of 14, embodying Katherine Song Covey–Kitty to her friends–the meddling sister of Lana Condor’s Lara Jean, who unknowingly catapults the franchise’s plot.
Fast-forward a couple of years, Kitty is now the star of her own show. In the hit Netflix spin-off XO, Kitty, the now-high schooler takes a chance on love, as she flies halfway across the world to attend the Korean Independent School of Seoul (K.I.S.S.), the same institution that her long-distance boyfriend Dae (Choi Min Young) happens to attend.
But much in the nature of K-dramas and young adult rom-coms, not all love lines run smoothly. The matchmaker finds herself tangled in her very own web, but unlike the Kitty of the past, she might not have all the answers in her cards—but we’ll let Anna explain.
In this exclusive interview, Preview sat down with the XO, Kitty star to discuss love triangles (or trapezoids), her favorite K-drama, and the one pivotal point for Kitty’s sexuality—and how impactful it can be.
PREVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Anna Cathcart on “XO, Kitty,” Her Favorite K-Drama, and Kitty’s Coming Out
Aside from being the lead and the international setting, how did your experience during the show’s production differ compared to the movies?
“It was very, very different for all reasons, some that you just mentioned, but also because we’re coming at it from a different angle. [It was all about] exploring Kitty's world dynamics with her love life and her friends, versus her dynamic with her family.
“A huge part was being so far away from home and exploring a new place that really affected the whole experience. This was a very big learning curve in a lot of ways, but I was lucky that I had great role models to look up to throughout the movies. I felt a little bit more prepared to do this, and I had such a supportive cast all throughout the experience.”
Since you partly major in creative writing, did being a writer reframe the way you see these stories and the way you treat acting?
“I think I have a lot in my brain about stories and different characters all the time. I've had directors tell me before that I tend to see the whole picture, and how this one moment's gonna affect something in four episodes. That kind of mindset definitely affects how I work and how I approach something. Hopefully, one day I can be a director or work on other sides of the camera as well.”
There are a lot of revelations in the show, but a big one was Kitty going through a realization about her sexuality. As an actor, how was the process of getting into Kitty's mindset during those important moments?
“I was really excited that our show was going to explore that storyline and that part of Kitty. The scene when [Kitty] was talking to [her dad] on FaceTime and essentially comes out to him was such an important one for me. It meant a lot to even see that scene written out and to understand how that could impact somebody.
“The greatest part of it was knowing that it could impact viewers all over the world or people that I might never get to meet, and knowing that I can affect their life in a positive sense, in some way. I wanted to make sure it was done right. I definitely did not take it lightly.”
I talked to Anthony Keyvan the other day, and he said that you and he had watched some of Min Young’s K-dramas. But were you familiar with K-dramas before XO, Kitty?
“Honestly, I hadn't watched too many. Before shooting started, [it was fun] familiarizing myself with the genre. Jenny Han had sent me a list of a whole bunch she wanted me to check out, along with some of her favorites.”
Do you have any favorite K-dramas now?
“I just want to give a shout-out to Twenty-Five Twenty-One because Min Young’s in it, and it’s also just a great show. But that was one that I was really excited to watch, and I cheered whenever he came on screen.”
K-dramas are known for their love triangles, and the show also likes to play into that. Why do you think audiences are so drawn to them?
“As somebody who is a fan of rom-coms, it's just so much fun putting yourself in the position of [thinking], ‘If I was them, who would I want to be with?’, or ‘Who in my life would be like these people?’.
“It’s also really fun to uncover more characters and see their dynamics play out. It’s a tried-and-tested trope that's never going to get old, because everybody loves watching a love triangle—or square. With this show, it's more like a trapezoid. I don't even know what shape it is anymore!”
If the young Kitty from the first movie met the older Kitty from the show, what would she possibly tell her?
“One of the most defining factors about Kitty from the movies is that she is so utterly confident and sassy because she has a strong sense of self. As a teenager in high school, however, that's starting to shake. She doesn't feel so sure of herself.
“Young Kitty could remind older Kitty [about] who she is. At the end of the day, she’d [tell her to] follow her heart, and she knows it's all gonna work out.
“But I also think that older Kitty can tell younger Kitty to enjoy that stage of life and that simplicity of middle school, because things will be complicated, unexpected, and chaotic.”
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How do you envision a more grown-up Kitty in her 20s?
“Ooh, that's such a good question. I feel like Kitty's definitely a very creative person as well as a people person. If you ask Kitty, she would say she'd be a professional matchmaker, because how could she not want to do that? She’ll venture into something where there are a lot of people, a lot of passion and creativity around her, because I think she gets energized by others.
“But really, I feel like she’ll create some sort of dating app. (laughs) She would thrive if she worked in matchmaking.”
XO, Kitty is streaming on Netflix.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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