'The Kissing Booth 2' star Joel Courtney breaks down all of his favorite scenes from the sequel
"The Kissing Booth 2" star Joel Courtney spoke to Insider about his favorite scenes from the movie, the valuable lesson fans can take away, and whether or not another sequel is possible.
The 24-year old actor returns as Lee Flynn, "the same fun-loving little goofball" introduced in the first movie, as he and best friend Elle Evans (Joey King) enter their senior year.
Aside from the introduction of new characters Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) and Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the film also shows Lee and Elle dealing with typical high school woes, like applying to colleges and falling in love for the first time.
Lee's main hardship in the sequel is a lesson in establishing boundaries
Courtney's character is challenged with balancing his new relationship with Rachel (Meganne Young) and his longstanding friendship with Elle, who has a difficult time being alone after her boyfriend, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi), goes off to Harvard.
"Lee learns, 'What are the boundaries that I need to set between my best friend and my girlfriend? What time do I get with my girlfriend is just us and we should not and cannot have a third wheel and what time can I spend with my best friend and when can we be the three of us together?'"
Courtney added that being unable to draw clear lines and communicate effectively "is a huge deal" that can put a strain on relationships, as seen in the movie.
"It's an important lesson that I think every relationship goes through and I think this is a great way of showing Lee maturing," he said.
The movie includes a moment that's 'one of the most classically Lee things that could possibly be done'
During the film, Lee tries to win Rachel back by hijacking the school's announcements and letting everyone know that he loves her. It's an over-the-top gesture that's reminiscent of other sweet moments from rom-coms, and a scene that Courtney is fond of.
"I absolutely love that scene," the actor told us. "It's one of the most daring things that Lee does. He got detention, he got in trouble for it, but it was entirely worth it, you know? He got to publicly declare his love for Rachel, which was his main goal, and then also on top of that, he got to explore what it is to pursue this girl that he loves."
"I think he went above and beyond," Courtney said. "I just think it's one of the most classically Lee things that could possibly be done in the 'Kissing Booth' world."
The actor said that Lee's clumsy running sequence was 'one of my favorite things to film'
Early in the movie, Lee rushed to save Elle from public humiliation after she accidentally turned on the school's intercom while gushing over the new guy at school.
The scene, comprised of separate shots of Courtney and King that were intercut, took months to complete because the cast and crew would film it when they had time.
"That was honestly one of my favorite things to film," Courtney said of the sequence, which involved his character stumbling through garbage cans and running head-first into a cake, among other things.
"I truly appreciate the physical comedy of those and it's one of those things where I've never really been able to do that before to such a degree and I loved it," he added. "I had so much fun doing it and I'd like to do more like that in the future."
Courtney is most proud of the Halloween dance scene
"That took hours and hours of choreography and practice and I'm really proud of how Joey and I were able to turn that scene out," he said.
Courtney described filming Lee and Elle's dance as "exhausting," due to the amount of time spent practicing and the challenges that came with moving in their costumes, but he's "really proud" of the end result.
There's a 'hysterical' montage that Courtney wishes made it into the movie
A blooper reel appears during the movie's end credits, which features some scenes that were excluded from the film. One such moment is a scrapped montage with Lee, Elle, and Rachel hilariously trying on random Halloween costumes at a store.
Courtney said that he "laughed the hardest" while filming that montage as he, Young, and King put on "the most absurd costumes of all time." One of his favorite costumes was a pink tutu, which he wore while twirling and imitating other ballerina moves.
"It was just tight," the actor recalled. "It was like I was poured into it and my boxers are sticking out underneath the tutu and I just remember it being one of the funniest things."
"I hope one day that a full montage can come out of what they originally wanted to put in," he added. "It was hysterical. I wish that could be in there."
Courtney says a third 'Kissing Booth' movie is 'possible,' but it's not up to him
The movie ends with a cliffhanger, as Elle learns that she got accepted to both Harvard (where Noah is currently a student) and UC Berkeley, her and Lee's dream school since they were kids.
"I think it is possible," the actor said. "With the coronavirus pandemic, it would honestly be a question of timing. It's entirely up to Netflix."
He added: "I would say that as much as the fans loved the first movie, they are the entire reason that Netflix gave us a second one, so if people love the second one as much as they loved the first one, maybe. But I would be one of the last to know."