Representation, shantay you stay.
Fans of the beloved Netflix film series To All The Boys have been binging the new spin-off XO, Kitty since it dropped in May.
Anna Cathcart's character Kitty begins an exciting new journey as she travels to South Korea to pursue her long-distance boyfriend, Dae (played by Minyeong Choi).
Along the way, Kitty becomes best friends with queer character Q, portrayed by Love, Victor's Anthony Keyvan. Between the AAPI and queer representation, the characters in XO, Kitty have resonated with many fans around the world.
"I feel like Kitty and Q really are there for the push and pull. They know how to push each other when they need that push, but they're also there to comfort them when they just need someone to listen to. She's so supportive and excited for him," Cathcart tells The Advocate.
"Q is really good at keeping Kitty grounded. Kitty's really good at getting Q to take risks and go forward with what he wants. It's a really nice dynamic that they have," Keyvan adds.
With the show being based in Korea, both actors portray lead characters that are part of the LGBTQ+ community and experience their own high and lows of coming to terms with their sexualities.
"It's a really interesting take on a queer character. I've played a queer character before on Love, Victor and I think this is a lot different," Keyvan says. "Q is a queer character, but it's not a traumatic experience for him. In the media, we see a lot of trauma involved with coming out and being queer. With Q, it's very normalized and hopefully the viewers will see that and have a little bit of hope. It can be really easy sometimes and hopefully it will give them the courage to be themselves."
Viewers of the show also get to see Kitty explore her sexuality in the titular spin-off.
"You don't have to have it all figured out. Part of the process of figuring it out is giving yourself the space to be honest and explore those feelings that might not be an easy one to face," Cathcart says. "I'm very proud of her for doing that. She has Q to talk about it with. The way that her dad [reacts is] one of my favorite scenes in the whole series."
"Me too! [I Ioved] how accepting [her] dad was. All he cared about is her safety," Keyvan adds.
"Sometimes those moments when you feel the lowest, can be your strongest moments even when you don't see it," Cathcart concludes.
XO, Kitty is streaming now on Netflix. To see the full interview with Anna Cathcart and Anthony Keyvan, check out the video below.
Anna Cathcart & Anthony Keyvan Break Down Their Character's Friendship & Sexualities on 'XO, Kitty'youtu.be