Best known for starring as Kitty Covey in the To All the Boys movie trilogy, 19-year-old Anna Cathcart is back with a few surprises: a spin-off of the beloved teen rom-com and a new partnership with LEGO DOTS.
Netflix’s To All the Boys is based on a series of novels by Jenny Han and follows the sweet Lara Jean Covey and her coming-of-age journey through high school and romance. Cathcart portrays the lead’s sister, who is a fireball of wit and good vibes—a role she’s played since 2018.
In March 2021, it was announced that Kitty would be receiving spin-off treatment by the streamer and not too long ago, the actor took to her social media to share that they were filming in Seoul. "This show explores Kitty going to Korea for International School, and we see her in high school now, which is such a new environment because she was in middle school in the movies," Cathcart shares with Game Rant. Han and Sascha Rothchild will serve as co-showrunners and will executive produce alongside Matt Kaplan of ACE Entertainment. The logline for the 10-episode show teases that Kitty will reunite with her long-distance boyfriend while studying in Korea and find out that love is more complicated than it seems.
Game Rant had an 1-on-1 chat with Anna Cathcart in a room adorned with posters from her LEGO Dots collection. We spoke about XO, Kitty, how she got involved with LEGO to create three limited-edition posters which can be customized with LEGO DOTS, her experience at a dog café in Seoul, Korea, and how working in entertainment has helped shape her own style.
Game Rant: What drew you to this collaboration with LEGO DOTS?
Anna Cathcart: I grew up loving LEGO Bricks and LEGO Friends, and all their different lines. I was always begging my mom to bring me to the LEGO store. Now, getting an opportunity to work with them has been so much fun. I partnered with the LEGO Group to help create three different posters that all represent different vibes. They are all customizable with dots and patches.
GR: What was the process of creating these designs?
Cathcart: I got to help with the color scheme and different images on the designs. Out of the three different aesthetics, I relate most to the Bold and Vibey poster. The record player in the poster was inspired by the record player in my own bedroom, and I love the vintage vibe it brings. I am definitely drawn to that one, but I can connect to all the posters in very different ways. Wandercore is very dreamy and makes me want to go stargazing, which I love doing, and then the Island in the Sun poster has a lot of energy, and it's very bright, vibrant, and beachy. I went to Hawaii with my family a lot growing up, so it just brings warm feelings.
GR: You mentioned that the record player on the Bold and Vibey poster is inspired by the record player in your own room. What are your favorite records to listen to?
Cathcart: Oh, I have a lot of newer records. It feels extra cool but also funny to have brand-new albums on records instead of older albums from when records were actually a thing. When I go to a concert, I will always try to get the record from the concert. So, one of my favorites is my Alessia Cara one. I love her so much.
GR: Did working on To All the Boys and Descendants help you shape your own aesthetic?
Cathcart: Working on both of those two projects made such a big impact on my life. They naturally influenced what I like and what I'm drawn to. I was part of those beautiful worlds for so many years, and now all the time I'll see things and be like, “Oh, that's so Descendants!” or I'll see an outfit or some sort of decor and be like, “That’s so Kitty!” I love Kitty’s outfits, and I love that part of her aesthetic is being true to herself, especially in the third movie where she wears a tux to the wedding even though everyone else is wearing dresses. She's like, “No, I'm going to do my own thing, and you're not going to stop me.” I love that about her.
GR: I saw that you were filming XO, Kitty in Seoul, Korea not too long ago. What can you tease about Kitty’s journey in the show?
Cathcart: First of all, the whole experience of getting to be in Korea for so many months was such a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's such a beautiful place. I am still processing that that was real life. But what I can tell you about the actual show? Honestly, there's not too much I can share. I'm dying to tell everyone everything and soon there'll be more things to share. But in general, this show explores Kitty going to Korea for International School, and we see her in high school now, which is such a new environment because she was in middle school in the movies. She was the younger sister, and you saw her dynamic with the family and in the house, but now it's her dynamic with her world and her friends. She's in a very different environment, and she’s figuring things out, and that usual stuff. The show follows all the fun stuff that comes with being in high school, but also she's across the world in Korea. It’s so exciting to be back with Kitty because I've played her for like five years, which is insane.
GR: When this series got on your radar, was it an immediate “yes” for you or did you have to think about it?
Cathcart: Well, I think what people don't realize is that this show has been in talks forever, like since we were shooting the movies. We were shooting the third movie when this idea was brought up, and I honestly was like, “You guys are joking.” I didn't think it was going to happen. People have ideas all the time. It was just a concept that felt so out of reach. That was in 2019, and then we didn't shoot until 2022. It's been many years of me thinking about the show and knowing that it was a possibility. It is definitely still a “pinch me” moment.
GR: You talked about exploring Korea and getting to see the sights. What are three spots you would recommend to someone on their first trip?
Cathcart: It depends on what you like, of course, but I love shopping and Korea has such a cool fashion and beauty industry. Hongdae is an area that has a lot of good shops and I went there many times with my mom and my friends. So that's a really fun area. And then just street food. It’s not one specific area, it's all over the place. It is so good, and I love it so much, so I ate way too much street food, but you honestly can't have too much. I would say definitely look out for the little food carts and all the great local Korean snacks.
Another place—and it’s not a location, but definitely a place that would be at the top of my list to visit—there are animal cafés everywhere. I don't know why they're not more popular in other places in the world, but I went to a puppy café, and I'm the biggest, biggest dog fan ever. People who know me know that I melt if I'm around dogs, and there were like 15 dogs in one room, and you just go in and get a coffee and pet dogs, and you can just stay there all day. That was really mind-blowing. I was freaking out. But they have a bunch of different animal cafés. Some of my friends went to a goat café.
GR: Final question, just bringing it back to LEGO DOTS. What poster do you think Kitty would have on her wall?
Cathcart: I love this question. I think she would also like the Bold and Vibey poster. Kitty has a lot of energy all the time, and she can be spunky and is present and vibrant in there. This is what that poster brings as well. We have a lot of similarities and some differences as well, but we can agree on the same LEGO DOTS poster.
Anna Cathcart’s posters are currently available for purchase and will be featured in the Pop-up Dots Aesthetics Experience in Los Angeles from August 26-28.