Anna Cathcart is a little busy at the moment. But really, when hasn’t she been? Since the beginning of her career, Anna has been living an actor’s dream. Not only has she gotten the chance to play three characters in three different franchises, but now she’s taking it one step further with her latest series, a To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before–world spin-off called XO, Kitty. With the spotlight firmly on her, Anna is stepping out on her own for the first time, just like her character Katherine “Kitty” Song Covey.
But that doesn’t even cover what she’s been working on the past few years. When she isn’t spending time on Netflix’s set, having adorable reunions with fellow famous costars, coming up with witty IG captions, and making time to chat about life and being the lead on one of the most highly anticipated spin-offs this year, she’s in the middle of—wait for it—finals.
After I profusely apologized for cutting into her study time, I noticed the line between Anna and Kitty become clear. And while you’ll have to wait and see if Kitty actually passes her exams (XO, Kitty drops May 18 on Netflix), there’s no doubt Anna is going to dazzle.
Cosmopolitan had the ultimate study session with Anna and talked to the actor about her upcoming series, learning about love, adulting, and welcoming in a new era for both herself and Kitty.
You’ve basically grown up with Kitty. What has that been like?
Honestly, it’s a unique and wild experience to hold her hand through growing up and have this friend by my side. Especially now with the series, the things she’s going through and the messages of figuring out who you are, learning to be independent, following your heart, and all that kind of stuff is very much what I’m going through in my life at the moment.
It’s rare for an actor to be able to play a character through so many iterations. Did you always hope for this?
I definitely did not imagine this. It’s so mind-blowing to me that little me in grade eight was like, Oh, this is such a cute movie! Let’s audition! When the idea of XO, Kitty was first introduced, I didn’t think it was going to come into reality. But now that we actually got to explore this whole other chapter, I do not take it lightly.
There’s also the fact that you’ve grown up as well.
It was new getting to be the lead. This position definitely brought new responsibilities, but I had never really worked as an adult. I was working as a kid for many years and now it’s changed. I had to kind of relearn different aspects of my job.
This is the second time you’ve gone to Korea to film (the first was for To All the Boys: Always and Forever). Was it different this time?
Definitely different experiences. When we went there for the third movie, it was a couple of weeks and we kind of felt like tourists and we got to see a lot of great parts of Seoul and different parts of Korea. But this time, I was really living there for four months. I got to get to know it so much better. This cast bonded so quickly and became so close because we were all going through this adventure together side by side, and it kind of felt like college dorm life.
This show not only takes place in Korea, but it also seems very inspired by K-dramas in general. Did you refer to some while filming?
Before we even started shooting, To All the Boys author and XO, Kitty creator Jenny Han had given me a list of different dramas and was like, “You need to check these out. You need to get the vibe and the vision.” It was definitely very helpful for me to watch the magic that they have and try to bring that to our show.
Kitty has always been the matchmaker, but now she’s the one following her heart.
Something I love about this show is that at no point does Kitty apologize for her feelings. She gives herself space to explore them, which can be really difficult to do. She’s honest with the people she loves and herself, and that’s such a powerful thing to see, especially since it’s not easy because love is very overwhelming. It can feel very scary and it’s a very big thing to try to figure out what that looks like for you, who you love, and what that means.
Kitty in the movies is used to kind of having it all figured out and is very confident. Now at this stage of her life, she’s like, “Oh, maybe love is a lot more complicated and that’s okay.” She’s learning the complication and messiness of it is kind of part of the beauty of it. And I really love that we got to tour the types of storylines that we did with Kitty’s personal love life. It’s amazing to see her giving herself space to be honest with what’s going on with her feelings.
Has her journey changed how you look at love?
I think it supported a lot of the things that I’ve done and how I personally feel and look at love, but it also does bring me comfort. It can be a scary thing, but it can change in different stages of your life. There are so many different types of relationships and types of love. But they’re all valuable and they all are important. That’s a very cool thing to know and to remind yourself.
Having played Kitty for so long, is there a fear of being typecast as this character?
Because we see Kitty in a different environment, it doesn’t really feel like that’s too much of a concern. She still has her spirit and she’s still the same girl that we know, but she’s growing. It’s a very unique thing and I feel very grateful as an actress that I’ve gotten to follow this character for so long, especially in different stages of her life when I’m also at different stages in my life as an actor and as a person. It’s just a cool dynamic to have.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve taken away from this experience?
I’ve learned so much as an actor and as a person. I’ve proven to myself that I can be thrown into new experiences. I’m more capable than I might realize, and I might have not given myself credit for that.
I’m also going to university right now, so that’s like another type of chapter that I’m learning from right now. I went into that right after I came home from Korea. So those two experiences together feel very similar and continue to be part of a very big year of growth and change for me.
No way! What are you studying?
Creative writing and sociology.
How has it been? What made you pick those majors?
I honestly love it so much. School has always been really important to me and I’ve always wanted to explore that path, but it’s difficult when you still want to be an actor. Balancing the two can be challenging, but I’m very lucky it worked out.
Writing has been so much fun. I was doing creative writing for children and young adults for a while. I was talking to Jenny about this, but at one point in class, we used To All the Boys as an example. It was such a weird moment in my double life.
So, what does your future look like?
I mean, in the very near future, I have a final exam….
Oh my gosh, I’m cutting into your study time!
It’s this week, actually! But a little further into the future, I hope to still be able to balance both school and acting. I think writing would be incredible as well as directing or any other part in the magical world of filmmaking. I would love to explore that.
Alright, my last question so you can go back and study: How do you do it all?!
There are moments when it can be difficult to balance. I was going to regular school in Vancouver while traveling so much for work that it’s kind of trained me for university. Now I’m like, Oh, I can do this! I feel so fortunate that both of these chapters have happened and managed to work out this way. I hope I can continue with both of these things because it’s been very fulfilling for me.
