Is everyone ready for the premiere of XO, Kitty? If you are, then you’re in luck! We have an exclusive interview with Regan Aliyah, who will star as the character Juliana in the series! YEM can’t wait to talk to Regan about her role as Juliana. We hear her thoughts and experience with the show and cast members, and more. Because the show is a spin-off to its predecessor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, there will be tentative spoilers regarding XO, Kitty’s origins. For those planning to watch the show, we highly recommend watching the To All the Boys films and reading the original adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, all to fully enjoy the experience if you’re planning to read this article. And now, onto this interview and its refresher.
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For those who have seen this show popping up in their recommended list on Netflix, XO, Kitty is an upcoming romantic dramedy set to premiere on May 18th of this year! This highly anticipated series by Jenny Han, the original writer for the To All the Boys series and The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, created a stir as she will be the writer, showrunner, and one of the executive producers in this show.
For those who haven’t had the time to review the show’s synopsis, or require a refresher, here’s what the show is about. The show stars Kitty Covey, a young girl who believes to be extremely knowledgeable about love. She believes this so much, that she decides to move halfway across the world to Korea. There she aims to reconnect with her long-distance boyfriend. But trouble arises as she realizes love isn’t as simple as she thought it was. Her journey to Korea brings her to realize that relationships are far more complex than she anticipated. Especially when your feelings of love are involved in the mix.
Regarding XO, Kitty’s origins, the show is a prequel to the beloved series, To All the Boys I Loved films. The series from the film franchise is based on the trilogy that Jenny Han had written herself. The story centers around a shy teenager named Lara Jean Song-Covey. She writes five letters to the boys she had crushes on, but Lara never sends them to the recipients. The films show the audience what she experiences after the letters are delivered to the young men she had crushes on.
Photo Credit: Axel Medina
Speaking of origin, the origin of the films is based on the trilogy that Jenny wrote. Published through Simon & Schuster and released on April 2014, this trilogy received so much acclaim that it received a film adaptation, and to which eventually lead to the creation of XO, Kitty.
Here’s some information on Regan! You might recognize her for her appearances in Disney Movie Insiders and TikTok, or from her single Whats Next on Spotify and other streaming platforms. You might also recognize her for her involvement in Ironheart, as well as her character Zoe in BF for Hire.
Photo Credit: Ricky Middlesworth
We first asked Regan what it was like filming in Korea. Regan mentions that it was insane and recounts when she received a call stating that she’ll be heading to Korea in under two weeks. Regan talks about how Korea is rich in culture. She mentions how everyone was kind to them, and how the food and hospitality were superb. She talked about how whenever she stepped into a new place, she felt it was a great environment that felt safe and fun, like the karaoke bars. Regan states that it was a blast.
When asked if she thought about heading to a location like Korea, Regan mentioned that she wished about it and talked about how it was similar to her original thoughts of hoping and praying to travel overseas. Regan spoke about how she prayed she would travel the world for what she wanted to do for a living. Heading to Korea was a dream come true for her. Regan didn’t think that in that year, however, she would ever travel there. She’d always heard how vibrant and fun Korea was and thought how exciting it was to be there.
