From LA Times : “Why Rachel is the heart of ‘The Kissing Booth 3'”

Do you agree that Rachel is the heart of TKB3?

In the trilogy-capping Netflix rom-com “The Kissing Booth 3,” heroine Elle Evans (Joey King) has a lesson to learn: prioritize yourself in the journey to love.

But one character grasped that message early and quietly: Rachel, played by Meganne Young.

The 31-year-old South African actress reprises the role of Rachel, a thoughtful, creative student at Los Angeles Country Day High School and love interest to Elle’s best friend Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney) in the threequel, which started streaming this week.

While Elle remains the focus of “The Kissing Booth 3" — embarking on a summer mission to finish a childhood bucket list with Lee, while deciding whether or not to join boyfriend Noah (Jacob Elordi) at Harvard in the fall — Rachel’s maturity, intuitiveness and decisive pursuit of self slowly take center stage.

While Rachel is an aspiring interior designer — and the visual arts are not Young’s strong suit — she sees parallels between herself and her character, notably the strength of her reserved nature.

“I went to film school ... and people would always think I was in makeup or wardrobe because I was really quiet,” Young said recently by phone. “I was like, ‘Oh, am I supposed to be loud? Is that confidence? Is that what you need to be an actor?’ It rattled me for the first few years, but as I’ve gotten older and the more that I’ve worked on sets, I’ve become quite empowered in my quietness. I love that for Rachel, and I think that’s something that’s really similar between us.”

As a child, Young sought to be the center of attention. Her love for performing spurred her to seek out the stage, but moving from country to country shaped her understanding of the human condition. Born in Johannesburg but a “Cape Town girl” at heart, Young is a self-described “expat baby” who has lived in Nigeria, Switzerland and more, thanks to her father’s work.

“That experience made me quite adaptable and interested in other people’s perspectives and stories. I wanted to explore all these different avenues, all these different roads, and the best way I could come up with to do that was acting. If I had not been an actor, I probably would have studied psychology because I’m always interested in why people make the choices they make. I think that is so key to acting,” said Young.

Young said that she believes perspective does change when navigating different countries, cultures and practices. Those lived experiences made her attentive to societal gaps, the importance of nuance and perception beyond the black-white binary.

“Sometimes I worry that we want to boil everything down and make it simple, instead of finding that complexity, trying to understand it, embrace it and work within it. When you simplify things, that’s when you start pushing out other groups, especially minorities,” Young said. “I love complexity. I live for that. That is why I work in this industry ... but I also understand for a lot of people, it’s intimidating. I don’t think we can shy away from it if we really want to fix things.”

Her first-ever performance in front of an audience was as a student at the Grange School in Lagos, Nigeria, where she played a sugar plum fairy in a Christmas performance. Fast forward to 2018 and Young received an email from her agent: More “Kissing Booth” films were to come (the first was an unexpected Netflix hit), but the future of her character was still unknown.

When she went home to Cape Town for Christmas, she was met with a holiday surprise.

“I sat down with [director Vince Marcello and producer Michele Weisler] and they told me face to face what was going to happen with Rachel through both movies. I just was so excited,” Young said. “Something I was really taken with when I first read the script was seeing how she’s quite an even-keeled character. She doesn’t want to overstep, but she also wants to assert herself and be true to herself and her feelings.”

After Rachel and Lee locked lips in the first “Kissing Booth,” Young saw her character’s importance grow. In “The Kissing Booth 3,” Rhode Island School of Design-bound Rachel reevaluates her future with Lee after Elle and Noah’s relationship hits the rocks.

“I hate saying that love is not enough,” said Young, referencing a line from the movie. “Because I am such a romantic. But ... as you get older and you start investigating more serious relationships, you have to take in other factors. At the end of the day, you have to take care of yourself. If you aren’t happy and there’s too much strain on your relationship, for whatever reason, you need to make sure that you feel safe enough to navigate it then make decisions based on that.”

As Young navigates her career, she says a dream of hers is to play a character that seems brash, tough and “ugly” at first glance and “bring compassion into that.” Her hope is to challenge herself, tell “engaging and relatable” stories, and compel audiences to see different perspectives.

“I would love to do an action movie, to be seen so differently to what I appear as. That’s kind of the goal. It’s so easy to feel like you can look at me on paper, you can make an assumption based on all these things that you know about me. Sometimes I feel that I’ve been limited in people’s eyes. ... I think such an important part of being human is that growth, that evolution. I think you should change your mind,” Young said.

In “The Kissing Booth 3,” both Elle and Rachel are presented with choices. The question is who they’re making decisions for: themselves or to please the people around them. Young hopes that audiences take a note from Rachel and understand it’s not a mistake to look after yourself.

"[Rachel] really looks at what’s happening around her and she checks in with herself and she makes choices,” Young said. “They’re not easy choices, but she makes choices that she feels are best and will protect her. Finding that trust in yourself — I hope people take that away [from the film], and knowing that what is meant for you will come back to you. If that doesn’t come back, that means that there’s something else meant for you.”

From CVGJ.biz : “Gina Rodriguez has a great time on the set of 'Players'”

The “Jane The Virgin” star looks fabulous and overjoyed as she shoots her latest movie in The Big Apple just before her birthday!

Gina Rodriguez is filming her next romantic comedy “Players” and apparently she’s having a really great time. So we were able to see her last Tuesday, during a day of work that brought more than one smile.

Before doing some scenes jogging outdoors through a park in New York, we could see her filming with her co-star Damon Wayans Jr. Both very smiling, chatted between takes and posed for the cameras.

During one of the takes, Gina was running when she caught the attention of a handsome runner, played by the actor Tom Ellis, who couldn’t help but turn to look at her, as she walked away making funny faces, apparently dead of shame.

Then she began to celebrate with two joking friends on a park bench, roles played by actors Augustus Prew and Joel Courtney.

“Players” tells the story of a New York sportswriter named Mack (Rodriguez), who spent years devising successful dating stunts with her best friend Adam (Wayans Jr.) until she fell madly in love with one of her targets (Ellis). Now, everyone must learn the difference between playing and committing.

Gina, who created her own production company called I Can & I Will, will also be executive producer of the project.

As for her personal life, the winner of the Golden Globe is celebrating, since Today July 30, she celebrates her 37th birthday.

Happy birthday Gina Rodriguez!

From WUSA9 : “Joey King Reveals One of Her Favorite 'Kissing Booth' Scenes With One of Her Leading Men”

Joey King is reminiscing about her time on The Kissing Booth. The 21-year-old actress is saying goodbye to the Netflix movie franchise when the third and final installment premieres Aug. 11. King, who looks stunning on the cover of Glamour Mexico, opened up about one of her favorite Kissing Booth scenes with one of her many leading men.

"There are so many it's crazy, I always laughed on set. One memory that comes to mind was learning all the dance scenes with Joel [Courtney] for the first movie," she recalls. "We were so exhausted and delirious that we decided to do all of our dance choreography like we were made of jelly. Our limbs were spinning all over the place, and it was the most ridiculous but fun thing ever. One of my all-time favorite memories."

The Kissing Booth 3, meanwhile, sees King's Elle Evans deciding if she will be moving across the country with her boyfriend, Noah (Jacob Elordi), or fulfilling her lifelong promise to go to the same university as her BFF, Lee (Courtney).

From Deadline : “Joel Courtney & Crystal Reed To Star In ‘Pinball’ Film From Austin And Meredith Bragg”

EXCLUSIVE: Joel Courtney (Kissing Booth, Super 8) and Crystal Reed (Swamp Thing, Teen Wolf) have signed on to star in Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game for MPI Original Films.

The dramatic comedy produced by MPI is based on the true story of writer and pinball wizard Roger Sharpe, chronicling his journey to overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.

Austin and Meredith Bragg wrote and directed the film, which heads into production in October.

Stacey Parks, Lana Link, and Rob Pfaltzgraff will produce, with Nick Reid and Roger Sharpe on board as exec producers.

“Joel and Crystal bring so much remarkable talent and warmth to the project,” said The Bragg Brothers. “We’re thrilled to have them on board to bring Roger’s story to the screen.”

Courtney is currently in production on the Netflix film Players, starring alongside Damon Wayans Jr. and Gina Rodriguez. He’ll also soon be seen in the final film of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth trilogy, reprising his role as Lee Flynn.

The actor first burst onto the scene in J.J. Abram’s 2011 film Super 8, which had him starring opposite Elle Fanning and others. Other film and TV credits include Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, The Between, Mercy, Dear Eleanor, Sins of Our Youth, CW’s The Messengers, The Empty Man and 2019 indie, Pursued.

Reed is perhaps best known for her turn as Allison Argent in MTV’s Teen Wolf series. The actress recently played the lead role of Abby in Warner Bros. series, Swamp Thing. She also featured in Season 4 of the FBC for Warner Bros. Television series Gotham, portraying Sofia Falcone.

Reed’s other credits include Too Late, Crush, Jewtopia, Skyline, Incident in a Ghost Land and Crazy Stupid Love, in which she appeared opposite Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell.

Courtney is represented by Gersh and Authentic Talent & Literary Management. Reed is repped by ICM Partners and Silver Lining Entertainment.

From Digital Spy : “Netflix's Kissing Booth star lands next lead role”

Get ready for a film about... pinball?

Kissing Booth and Super 8 star Joel Courtney is joining Swamp Thing and Teen Wolf's Crystal Reed for a new film that's all about... pinball?!

As reported by Deadline, the pair have been signed up for Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.

You might think 'why did pinball need saving?' Well the game was actually banned in New York for almost 25 years, because lawmakers thought that winning was random, and it was designed to make people steal money in order to carry on playing.

That is until a man named Roger Sharpe successfully fought to overturn the ban, proving in court through his sheer competency at the game that it was, in fact, skill-based. 

Writers and directors Austin and Meredith Bragg said: "Joel and Crystal bring so much remarkable talent and warmth to the project. We’re thrilled to have them on board to bring Roger’s story to the screen."

The publication reports that production on the project will begin in October. 

If they don't use 'Pinball Wizard' by The Who in the film, or at least the trailers, then we wouldn't be angry, just disappointed.

Meanwhile, the third and final Kissing Booth movie will be releasing on Netflix on August 11, which is less than two weeks away. Time to start catching up if you want to be there for the big finale.

From Looper : “ Bloopers that Make Us Love The Kissing Booth Even More ”

The cast of The Kissing Booth films give us plenty of joy when they're on screen, bringing Beth Reekles' book characters to life. But there's even more to adore during their candid moments on the set. Joey King and Joel Courtney, for example, are just as close in real life as the films' besties Elle and Lee, and they definitely spent their downtime getting just as goofy and dance-happy as their character counterparts. They also played lots of pranks on each other and created all-new routines on-set between takes — and they're hardly the only stars who've shared some major laughs while making these movies.

Behind-the-scenes footage from the films show just how much fun all of the actors had while working together, and even their biggest mess-up moments are a treat to watch. With The Kissing Booth 3 on the way soon, let's take a look back at the bloopers that make us love The Kissing Booth films even more.

Halloween Hijinks

While the cast of The Kissing Booth had to be pretty coordinated to pull off all of those epic video game dances and nimble sports maneuvers, they were still a bit clumsy from time to time. In fact, as Joey King's behind-the-scenes video from production shows, it took all of one day of shooting on the first film for Joel Courtney to earn a few stitches on his chin. But it was King who turned out to be the biggest klutz of the cast.

In one hilarious blooper from the film's credits sequence, we see King as Elle, strolling out in her goofy pirate costume on Halloween — only, instead of presenting her sword gracefully so the camera can pan over to Courtney in his Black Swan getup as we saw in the full film's scene, this time she walks the proverbial plank and takes a major tumble. To be fair to the actress, her balance may have been affected by that oversized hat. But history repeated itself again and again in the bloopers from the set of the sequel, when she took an unexpected slide in the costume shop and even managed to fall while fully seated in another clip. Somehow, despite her apparent propensity to slip and slide around the set, her Dance Mania skills still prove she was quite quick on her feet when she had to be. Well, mostly.

The MVPs

Speaking of the actors' strengths on the dance floor, King, Courtney, and The Kissing Booth 2's Taylor Zakhar Perez, who played Marco, all managed to make it look easy as their characters practiced for weeks and weeks to steadily improve their accuracy and creativity ahead of the big competition. However, there were certainly some moments when these stars didn't quite stick the landing, as the credits reel bloopers from their many dance session slips show. King was especially inclined to lose her bearings, from the looks of these bloopers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the preparation that went into making all of those moves work on camera was echoed in the grueling rehearsals that the actors had to do during production. Perez shared some candid footage of his so-called "best" rehearsal day with King in the arcade and an overhead glimpse of the two filming their final rehearsal before the big day. And though it seemed like Elle and Marco could never ever tire as they geared up to win it all, King let it be known to her co-star and the film's crew that it was, indeed, very "hard' to pull off all those moves for hours on end. And even then she still had a major fall while filming that prize-winning showcase scene.

The endless burger

While we're on the subject of suffering for art, King also offered an all-new perspective on a very memorable scene from the first movie that'll totally change how you see it when you rewatch. Shortly after the first film's premiere in May 2018, King revealed her own vantage point from the scene when Elle and Lee are lounging on the soccer field, sharing a burger, and talking about what to expect from her first date with Tuppen (Joshua Daniel Eady). Apparently, King snuck her own phone onto the set that day and captured what it was really like for her and Courtney to scarf down so many sandwiches. In addition to showing that it was a full-on giggle fest for the two actors between takes, she also let fans know that she got "so full" that she actually lost her lunch while shooting her soccer practice scene shortly thereafter.

Of course, that wasn't the only burger-related bit that King dealt with during the making of these movies. While filming the second film's scene with Elle playing Ms. Pac-Man at the arcade while Lee slips her some bites of their shared snack, one blooper shows King accidentally biting off more than she can chew. In fact, an entire tomato slice ends up dangling from her lip in the footage. If that weren't funny enough, the sad sound effects in the background prove that her mishap also meant she got caught by the ghosts in the game at the exact same time.

The brauns gone wrong

Last but not least, even though Jacob Elordi and Taylor Zakhar Perez have stolen millions of fans' hearts as the unshakable hunky heartthrobs Noah Flynn and Marco Peña in The Kissing Booth series, even these ultra-suave actors have had their fair share of awkward moments on set.

The credits bloopers for The Kissing Booth 2, for example, show Elordi letting his carefully crafted cool guy demeanor slip just a smidge when it comes to a passing cyclist scaring the daylights out of him during a motorcycle ride scene. Elordi also shows off a sentimental side in another blooper from the pic in which he accidentally interrupts filming by playing a musical slideshow to get into his "emotions” during the airport scene. And additional footage from the film's credits also reveal just how goofy he can get with his many funny faces and one charming John Travolta impression that unexpectedly comes into play in a scene-gone-wrong.

Meanwhile, Perez's outtakes prove that even a guy as collected and self-assured as him has some flubs now and again, including a moment in which he adds way too much weight to his gym machine and another in which he continues to stumble over a word so simple as "freestyle."

As the third installment to The Kissing Booth series draws ever nearer to bringing this heartwarming movie series to its conclusion, at least we know there'll still be outtakes, blooper reels, and behind-the-scenes cast footage to enjoy for years to come.