Actress Lana Condor has a lot to be proud of when it comes to Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and it’s sequel P.S. I Still Love You.
Not only are the films one of the only teen rom-coms to feature an Asian American lead, but the sequel made the bold (and unfortunately, controversial) choice of casting actor of color Jordan Fisher in a lead role originally written for a white boy in the book of the same name.
But perhaps Lana is most excited about the safe sex talk between her character Lara Jean and her boyfriend Peter. In her cover story for Teen Vogue, Lana explained,
“I think what I’m most proud of in the sequel is that Lara Jean is having a conversation with Peter.”
She continued,
“I hope that young people feel less alone in having conversations about safe sex. It’s totally fine to wait or don’t wait, but at least know that it’s your choice and your decision to do that.”
A sex talk between a couple in a teen drama is extremely rare, which is particularly sad considering how much sex goes down. (And god forbid they should ruin a steamy sequence with a scene of someone opening a condom.)
All you have to do is watch a single episode of Riverdale or (back in the day) Gossip Girl, where horny teens are quick to throw off their panties but never dare reach for a condom or even — gasp — have a conversation about being tested for STIs.
But by Lana’s account, To All the Boys aims to avoid that bad habit.
It shouldn’t be shocking considering the films have been throwing out every rule in the book. In a world where we’re lucky just to get an Asian sidekick, TATBILB is making sure Lana gets her very own princess moment and all.
“I’ve never had a Cinderella moment nor have I seen, besides I think Crazy Rich Asians, an Asian Cinderella moment, where she’s walking down the stairs, and it’s beautiful, and you’re like, ‘Holy crap.’ I was standing on top of the stairs, and I was so emotional.”
And if anything, the movies have proved yet again that an Asian American actress can easily carry a successful film — an excuse Hollywood execs have been using for years to avoid casting actors of color as lead characters. To All the Boys is, after all, one of Netflix’s most rewatched movies of 2019.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You drops on Netflix on February 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
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