From Who What Wear : “Joel Courtney Bids Adieu to The Kissing Booth”

I have a confession to make: I was late to the Kissing Booth party. I know, I know. I’ve been missing out, but better late than never, they say. So when I got the opportunity to speak with star Joel Courtney for the Netflix franchise’s third and final film, it was time for a little Kissing Booth binge session. Now, I fully understand why it’s one of the streaming service’s most successful movie projects of all time. The Kissing Booth is a heartwarming, feel-good watch from start to finish, but more than that, it’s the loveable characters that keep you coming back for more. Name a better BFF duo than Elle and Lee. I’ll wait. Elle and Noah? Straight-up #couplegoals. And don’t get me started on Marco, our dreamy potential rival. The on-screen dynamic between the films’ young stars is *chef’s kiss*.   

During my phone call with Courtney, who couldn’t be more perfectly cast as Lee Flynn, the actor tells me the on-screen relationships are a testament to the real-life bonds and friendships formed by the cast. From the sounds of it, the last four years have consisted of nonstop laughing, especially with co-star and Gen Z rom-com queen Joey King. “It’s just been the best ride,” he says, thinking back on the experience. The TKB franchise may be coming to a bittersweet end this month, but one thing is for sure: It’s going out with a bang. When Elle and Lee find their childhood beach house bucket list, they set out to check off each item before leaving for college, leading to a series of epic moments. My personal favorites are a particularly entertaining Mario-inspired go-kart race and a flash-mob dinner scene. The Kissing Booth 3 is good, old-fashion fun coupled with a relatable coming-of-age narrative, making it a must-watch film this summer.      

Ahead, Courtney and I chat about the final chapter of TKB, his fondest memories from filming, and the exciting new doors he is opening next. 

PHOTO: MAARTEN DE BOER/NETFLIX INC.; STYLING: SALVATORE FERRAGAMO SHIRT; UNIQLO TANK TOP

It’s bittersweet that we’re here talking about the third and final film in the The Kissing Booth franchise. How are you feeling right now? 

I am so excited for the release of the third movie, and like you said, it is bittersweet in that this has been one of the most fun runs of three, almost four, years from the beginning of Kissing Booth one to now. It’s just been the best ride. I’ve made so many friends and worked with some incredibly wonderful and talented people, and we are so proud of the franchise and what it’s been able to do and how many people it’s been able to reach. So yeah, bittersweet is the encompassing idea of it for me. 

What do you love most about playing a character like Lee?

I think one of my favorite things about Lee is his openness and how he does everything with his whole being. If he loves you, you have all of him. And he learns boundaries and how not to give all of himself to one thing and to compartmentalize. There’s a journey and a learning experience. It’s not really a coming-of-age story for Lee, but he learns to function as an adult. This is Lee starting to adult, which is always tough, as I have learned. 

I think what I’m going to miss most is filming with Joey [King]. The main takeaway I have from filming is laughing with her. It’s the most consistent thing that we ever did, and it’s a through-line memory from the first day of filming to the last. We just didn’t stop laughing. 

How would you say you and Lee are most similar? What about your differences?  

Most similar, I would say his heart for people is just so pure. Just the way that he is all or nothing, I think that is something that I see in myself. I’m very much a people pleaser, which I’m working on, and I think that Lee is 100% a people pleaser—not for everybody but [for the] people he loves most. And then the ways we are different, I would say I have better style. It’s so funny. In the first movie, they were really focusing on Lee having this poor sense of style and clothes. I have a more refined sense of style. 

Elle and Lee find the epic beach bucket list they created when they were kids, which sets the rest of the events of the film in motion. What are some of the things on your personal bucket list? 

On my personal bucket list, I have things like skydiving and BASE jumping. I’ve got adrenaline-junkie things. But then, I also have things like I want to travel to Italy. I really enjoy scotch, and there are some distilleries in Scotland that are centuries old. I want to go and do tastings there and just feel the age of these locations and the history they have. Some of those distilleries, if I’m not mistaken, are older than America. My bucket list is all over the place.

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MAARTEN DE BOER/NETFLIX INC.; STYLING: EMPORIO ARMANI SHIRT AND TROUSERS; DAVID YURMAN CUFF; CODA BANDS BELT ACCESSORY

Between the epic Mario Kart scene, the flash mob, and the cliff jumping, The Kissing Booth 3 is the epitome of summer fun. 

Yeah, we had so much fun. The Mario Kart scene, that is actually something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I never really thought of officially making it a bucket-list item, but I have always wanted to drive go-karts and throw bananas at people. So that was actually a bucket-list dream come true for me. It was a tough process actually filming that [scene]. It was meant to be done in a couple of days, but it took so much specificity in getting all of the shots of all the actors, and then we’re also moving at the same time, so focus was always a struggle. Sometimes, we were being towed, and sometimes, we were free driving. It was an adventure. But I would have to say one of my favorite bucket-list items [from the film] was sumo wrestling with Joey. I was laughing so hard while we were filming that scene and wearing the sumo suit. I couldn’t stand up. People had to come in and pick me up and put me back on my feet so we could start filming and run around again. I have to say sumo was maybe my favorite to do. 

Lee and Elle’s rules are a consistent thread throughout all of the films. Do you have a favorite rule that you live by in your own life? 

Yeah. Oh shoot, what rule number is it? For the life of me, I cannot remember the rule number, but it comes up in the first movie, and it’s “If you can’t tell your best friend about something, you shouldn’t be doing it.” That’s something I live my life by for accountability. Like if I can’t tell my wife that I’m doing something, I shouldn’t be doing it, right? And it extends to my friends, protecting them, respecting them, honoring them as friends. If this is something I am going to have to make up for or apologize for or is wrong in general, I should not be doing it. And I catch myself with that rule sometimes. Ugh, what number is it? It’s killing me! I’m going to go watch the first movie again. 

Your on-screen mom is Molly Ringwald, who is beloved for such classic teen rom-coms as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. What did you enjoy most about working with her? Did she share any tips? 

What a legend. Molly is amazing. Having her on set was so much fun. Joey really carried these films on her shoulders. They would not be the movies they are without Joey King. And I find, for myself, that whenever Molly was on set, there was a groundedness and a curiosity for me. When Molly was on set, I just wanted to hear her talk and listen to her tell stories and reminisce or just glean wisdom from her. She was Joey King before Joey King was born, you know? She was the original rom-com queen. And here we are, however many years later, and we are making a hit rom-com. Having her on set, I don’t know. There was a generational passing down of the baton. It was just so cool. 

The Kissing Booth has amassed a huge following and is one of Netflix’s most-watched films of all time. What do you think is the secret sauce of this franchise?

I don’t know if I can boil down the secret sauce into one ingredient. This was a labor of love. It was not easy. If it came down to one thing, I would say it was Vince Marcello’s vision. Our director had the clearest idea in his head about what these films could mean to people, and he just put his entire being into making these movies the best that they could absolutely be. The devil is in the details, and he was on the details. He was all over the details. The details didn’t know what hit them. It was meticulous. Honestly, it came down to clothes complementing each other, color schemes progressing, things that I didn’t even know went into making movies. Vince perfected The Kissing Booth franchise. On top of that, there’s also Joey’s performance that carries the films through. There’s the romantic relationship of Noah and Elle and Jacob [Elordi] just coming in and being the perfect Noah. The friendship between Elle and Lee. There are so many things and so much hard work that came from all the departments. Props, hair and makeup, wardrobe, the ADs, our PAs on set, the sound department, everybody worked their butts off and gave their all for these movies, and I think that’s what really makes these movies shine.

What has surprised you most about the reaction to The Kissing Booth? Any unexpected fans you discovered?

The reaction from the first movie blew me away. It’s not that I called it, but when I was done filming and we were flying back to the States—because we filmed in South Africa—I remember calling my manager and telling her this felt different. I don’t really know why. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it felt really good on set. I just felt amazing leaving the set from the first movie. I thought, “This is going to do really well.” It was such an overwhelmingly positive experience. I remember telling [my agent] this. And then, the movie comes out, and it just explodes to a degree like nothing I have been a part of or done. It’s such an epic experience. Yes, for us, it is work. You are on set, it’s hard, you are working long hours, but at the end of the day, it’s entertainment, and people get to see it, and you hope that they like it. The love we have received on this franchise is so overwhelming. It’s why we do it. That kind of reception is what everyone hopes for, just lavishly given love and so much support. I’m also a fan of the movies. They still make me laugh and cry. I get so invested.

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MAARTEN DE BOER/NETFLIX INC. STYLING: SALVATORE FERRAGAMO JACKET; UNIQLO TANK TOP

What are you going to miss most about working with this cast?

The playfulness of the cast is probably one of the most fun experiences that I’ve had on set, and I think that will be my main takeaway. After filming, we weren't sick of each other. We wanted to go hang out. We just spent a week together filming 12-hour days, and on the weekends, we would go out for drinks and hang out and go have fun. I think those are the bonds I will miss most working with this cast. Everybody was so kind and encouraging of each other. I remember multiple times we were on set, and the cast would be in the holding room, and we’re just laughing out loud, and they are rehearsing, so they would be like, “Hey, we need it quiet so that we can focus and do our thing in here, and then we will bring you on, and you can laugh all you want on set and while we’re rolling, but for now, we need it to be a little quieter.” It was like we’re busted! I think that also speaks to the relationships on screen coming through the characters. There was just a really good rapport with each other. 

So fashion is a part of your job as an actor, but what is your personal relationship to style?

I do have interest in style, and I will say it is an evolving situation. I’m the youngest of four kids, so mostly, what I wore growing up was hand-me-downs. There was not much that I could do with that in terms of creativity. If I had been interested at a younger age, I could have, but now that I’m buying my own clothes, my wife Mia is a huge inspiration for me. There are days where I’m about to walk out the front door, and I’m like, “I don’t think she would like this outfit,” and I ask her, What do I wear with this? And she’ll go, “Why don’t you try wearing this.” It’s an evolving situation, and I’ve had a really great time working with fun brands. Actually, over the last couple of years, my personal stylist Ashley Weston—I absolutely adore her—has put me in some of the coolest outfits. I am excited to explore it more. 

Is there anyone in particular who you think is doing interesting things fashion-wise?

I think Timothée Chalamet has amazing style. I follow the GQ page on Instagram, and they do Fit of the Week and have some master stylists for things, and I’m just really appreciating a sense of style more. I’ve also learned there are different senses of style, so what I think is cool, other people will not. It’s subjective. It’s a personal choice of what you put on every day. I am by no means well educated or informed enough to pursue or dress myself for big things, but it’s just fun. I like trying out new stuff. It’s kind of like a chessboard. No two games are exactly the same. As soon as you change a single piece of an outfit, the entire outfit changes. It’s an overwhelming industry to think about pursuing because there is so much to it, but I’ve surrounded myself with good people, and I’m excited to learn more about it. 

Looking beyond The Kissing Booth, what are you excited about next? 

I am just excited about opening new doors and working with new people. Working with Kissing Booth, like I said, it’s been three years of the same character, of the same everything. Same but different, you know? It’s a little odd closing that door and knowing that door is permanently closed, but there will be new doors opening up. I have some really exciting things in the works. I just filmed a movie with Miramax, and it was super fun. And I also have Players with Netflix in the comedy department. There’s a lot happening, and I’m very blessed. I know that life has been crazy, and the last couple of years have been really tough for a lot of people, so I’m very blessed to be in the industry that I’m in, and I have so much love for it and passion for the work. I really do hope to be one of those guys who has a résumé longer than their arm at the end of a long and joyful life. 

The Kissing Booth 3 is now streaming on Netflix. 

Photographer: Maarten de Boer

Stylist: Ashley Weston

Stylist Assistant: Neissa Diabate

Groomer: Rachel Burney

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.