The second season of XO, Kitty, a spin-off of the super-popular To All the Boys film series, features many twists that fans have never seen before.
As Kitty Song-Covey begins a new semester at the Korean Independent School in Seoul (affectionately known as KISS), she experiences a series of romantic entanglements and continues to yearn for more. Get to know her family.
However, she doesn’t consider that a new roommate could turn the life of one of her closest friends upside down.
Bubbly and adorable Stella seems to be a wonderful newcomer, blending into the lives of Katie’s friend group and into the heart of her former admirer Moon Min-ho (or so he claims).
But what her new friends don’t know is that she is actually staging an eternal revenge plan at KISS.
Newcomer Audrey Huynh plays Stella, formerly known as Ester Shim. She’s a scene-stealer as a teenage girl who comes across as just a sweetheart but hides some deep-seated trauma beneath her affable face.
Huynh is a perfect fit with the strong and talented cast, making the show one of Netflix’s most popular.
The show has become more than just a spin-off, and Season 2 of XO, Kitty is a binge-worthy treat for anyone who fell in love with these complex and funny kids trying to find their way.
In this fun chat, we chat with Huynh about her character’s journey, her journey into the series, and more.
Huynh has a bright future in the industry and it was a pleasure spending time with her and discussing a variety of topics.
How familiar are you with our company? to all the boys i’ve ever loved Books and movies before joining XO, Kitty?
I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the first movie came out. I read all the books. I watched all the movies. Then I watched the first season of XO, Kitty when it came out.
So, even though I had just received the audition call, I was terrified that I would ever get the chance to audition for XO, Kitty. I’ve been a fan for years.
Going into a series like this that already has an established cast, how do you get into a situation where most everyone else is already there?
I was scared at first. I’m scared. I freaked out on the plane. But they were very enthusiastic. When I first met them, they made it easy for me to get used to the cast and the performance. As a new actor, the amount of advice I was given was staggering.
It made the whole experience so incredible.
When you went out to audition for the role, what drew you to Stella? What was it about her that made you think this was a character you could play?
When I first got the casting call, I had no idea which direction she would end up going, but there was always a sense of mystery about her. Something isn’t quite right.
Something must have happened to her.
But when I got the script, I thought, “I’m obsessed with this character. This is going to be so much fun to play. I actually had a lot of fun doing it.”
How about playing Stella and Esther? In a way, they’re kind of dueling characters. Stella is not necessarily misunderstood, but there are many layers to uncover.
Can you talk about Stella’s motivations, how you see her, and her progression throughout the season?
She was devastated when she came to KISS. She’s suffered a lot of trauma in her past, which certainly inspired her entire revenge plan. But, at some point, while she was there, she considered changing her motivations.
It’s a lot like “Should I continue with this plan or stop because I care about these people?” She didn’t realize that she would care about the people she was going to meet.
That’s the inner conflict that I’m playing with. But it was very interesting to see her backstory unfold because I didn’t understand it initially until later episodes. So, once I understood why she was doing what she was doing, it all made sense.
But I feel like we want to see more of her backstory. I wanted to know more of her backstory. I think this would be really cool, it just needs to be unpacked further.
When it comes to relationships, Stella says minho Eventually, over time, it did become a reality for her. Do you think she is telling the truth?
She cares about the people she meets at KISS, and most importantly she realizes that he never really liked her in the first place. So she can do what she’s doing and it’s totally fine, even though it’s not great.
I don’t condone any of her behavior, but I think it’s getting to the point where she’s conflicted and wondering if she should go ahead with her plans.
What have you learned about yourself through this role and working on this series?
I think the most important thing for me is learning how to live. I’ve never really traveled. I was in school when I first got the casting call and had to drop out completely. So, being spontaneous and learning how to accept that is a big bonus.
I also learned a lot about the industry, being an actor, and what this life is about, which is also very special to me. And the cast – we’re all really close.
I learned a lot about friendship. I absolutely loved the entire cast and we still talk. I’m texting them this morning.
As you watch the show, you seem to be friends, and I’m glad to see that reflected off-screen as well. Are there any interesting stories from the filming process? Is there anything that impressed you?
Oh, there are so many. To be honest, some of my favorite moments were really canceled out. Our dynamic is very interesting. Every friendship you see on screen completely translates to real life.
But my favorite memory with them is we went to this railroad park and popped in to go zip lining. It was so fun to catch up with everyone one last time before we left.
It was a super cool bonding experience with just a few weeks until we were leaving. We brought our family, like my mom and Anna’s family.
It was a great opportunity to connect with everyone off the set because we spent a lot of time together on the set as well. Yeah, that one holds a very special place in my heart.
To you, Audrey, what? relation What’s your favorite season 2?
I really like Kitty and Q’s friendship. They have such an interesting dynamic. Even off-screen, Anna and Anthony are such close friends and their back and forth is so adorable. But it’s one of my favorite relationships.
How important is it for you to be involved in projects like XO and Kitty that authentically interpret Korean culture?
Oh, this is very important. Honestly, that’s why I’m a fan of this movie in the first place. When I was younger, seeing a main character who looked like me was completely unheard of, so it was really cool to be able to see that.
It’s so cool to be able to really highlight a part of my heritage and family history that I love talking about on a show like “XO, Kitty.”
Jenny Han’s ability to bring these authentic characters to life, both as teenagers and young Asian Americans, and blend the two together is crazy and awesome. I like it very much. This really means a lot to me.
How does it feel to finally let everyone see it?
I’m so happy! We put so much effort into this show, so much into this season, and I’m so excited to feel that out in the world.
You are an accomplished singer and actor, two careers that are equally exciting and intense. What do these two things mean to you?
I’ve been acting for a long time and was just floating around in the industry, but music has always been my secret passion. I grew up playing music.
I grew up writing songs and then I realized I could put them out there and people would want to listen to them. So, I started releasing music a few years ago, which was really fun.
I love writing music, and I love that people enjoy listening to what I have to say. So it’s more of a personal thing for me, but I’m getting ready to release more music. It was so much fun and I just wanted to keep going.
But both were always present in my brain at the same time. I don’t like one more than the other. I feel like the two of them are on the same level. It’s so fun to be able to do both and have both in my life.
I usually ask this question to people I’ve never talked to before. Since we’re TV fanatics here, we’re all talking about TV here. I have to know what your favorite comfort show is.
Something you like to watch when you’re feeling down or happy or whatever. So, what shows are you watching these days?
Oh, I love Grey’s Anatomy! Whenever I have some free time, I turn on Grey’s Anatomy. So this is my comfort show. Recently, I was watching Nightmare with my parents in preparation for season 2, and it was such a great show.
OMG. I had no idea how good that show was. We’re also watching “Silo” right now, which is also a really, really good show.
All are good dramas! Thank you so much for your time today, Audrey. I appreciate it.
Thank you for having me. This is so fun!
***This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You can watch XO, Kitty Season 2 on: Netflix Now.
“XO, Katie” watch online
