“It jogs my memory why I do the job that I do,” XO, Kitty star Gia Kim says of the private messages she’s obtained from followers telling her that her character Yuri has modified their lives.
The 32-year-old actress’ get away position as Yuri within the To All The Boys spinoff shortly turned a favourite of followers on-line after the primary season dropped in 2023. Early into the season one, it was revealed that the character, a pupil on the fictional Seoul-based worldwide faculty KISS, was queer and struggling to search out acceptance from her high-status household.
Yuri’s storyline has resonated with viewers. “The followers get actually, actually susceptible with me,” Kim tells The Hollywood Reporter. “That is actually not simply one thing summary. It’s so actual. It’s touching individuals’s hearts in ways in which I can’t even think about.”
Again for season two, Kim’s character of Yuri finds herself caught between her finally-returned-to-school girlfriend Juliana (Regan Aliyah) and the present’s protagonist Kitty (Anna Cathcart). Beneath, Kim speaks with THR about her character’s difficult love life, hoping Yuri is proven grace for her decisions and what initiatives she’s manifesting subsequent.
How are you feeling about Yuri this season? She ended season one in a very fascinating place and with Juliana returning, the dynamics have modified. What was it like exhibiting a brand new aspect of a personality that you’ve got seemingly grow to be comfy enjoying?
I don’t know if I discovered something extra uncomfortable for season two. It was truthfully simply totally different units of issues that Yuri was going through. In season one, the exterior battle is with [Yuri’s] mother more often than not, and having to do with being accepted for who I’m and my sexuality, and all of that. That’s nonetheless ongoing, it’s simmering underneath the floor. Really, it’s nonetheless very a lot an issue for Yuri’s life, it’s simply not as proven or dramatized within the season, as a result of my mother doesn’t seem on display screen. You’ll be able to positively inform Yuri’s nonetheless troubling in her household relationship, and now there are extra issues as a result of actual life relationships have actual life issues and that typically will get amplified while you’re bodily collectively, versus being round your lengthy distance.
I really feel like this season is simply totally different units of issues, with extra to do instantly with bumping heads with [Juliana] by way of how we cope with one another once we’re bodily collectively. I don’t know if it was tougher. I believe general season one was tougher within the preparation technique of all of it, however season two got here a little bit bit simpler as a result of I had the inspiration of season one.
How do you and Regan [Aliyah] work to make that dynamic between Yuri and Juliana plausible?
I believe to start with of season one we positively talked about, “Oh, let’s give our characters a backstory that the writers haven’t essentially informed us.” You already know? Like how lengthy have we been collectively. All of these issues that actors do to provide extra of a artistic assets to work with, to construct the character. So we did that firstly of season one.
After which, I believe, the remainder of it, truthfully it’s not like we get collectively each single time we’ve got a scene collectively. I believe that as a result of we constructed that basis in season one, as far and few there have been by way of assembly Juliana in particular person. Season two got here after which clearly we’ve got much more scenes collectively bodily on this season.
I believe it was actually natural, perhaps it simply has one thing to do with the chemistry of two actors who’ve already labored collectively. It’s identical to we each knew what the scene was going to be about, we confirmed up, after which we simply knew what we have been each anticipating to get out of this scene with out essentially speaking about it. It actually simply labored out organically, I’m going to say.
The roommate dynamic between Kitty, Yuri, Juliana and Stella performs a reasonably large a part of the primary few episodes of season two. What have been these taking pictures days like?
That was actually enjoyable. Dorm conditions are positively a playground for drama, you already know? I by no means actually stayed in a dorm all through center or highschool, so I don’t know from expertise. However the place there’s lots of people, loads of hormones in a single room, issues are sure to occur. I really feel just like the writers actually made good use of that scenario. The dorm rooms, it was group scenes, however they have been mini-group scenes, so it wasn’t as disturbing as doing like, I don’t know, the promenade scene. You already know? The place there’s like lots of of actors on this one complete house. It was intimate but in addition extra social. These days have been a little bit extra social. It’s a superb mixture of a bunch dynamic and in addition the intimate dynamic too.
Gia Kim returns as Yuri in ‘XO, Kitty.’ Make-up by Suzie Okay and Hair by Brian Fisher at Ahead Artists.
Tiziano Lugli/@tizianolugli
Early into the season, Kitty and Yuri share a kiss. When everybody finds out issues implode for everybody. How did you are feeling about that story to your character? The place would you wish to see it go?
Truthfully, sure, it leaves on that vast taking place earlier than they go proper into the ski cabin, which is an entire different beast of a storyline, as a result of so many issues occur on the ski cabin. Oh boy, as a result of it’s such a… I imply the phrase dishonest already evokes a sure response from anybody who involves expertise dishonest, whether or not that’s as a result of they’ve been cheated on or as a result of they’ve cheated.
So, I really feel like that phrase itself already type of seems like a robust connotation world. I used to be a little bit bit involved initially at how followers or viewers would possibly take it. As a result of clearly my being the perpetrator… You already know, everybody is aware of it’s unsuitable, proper?
However I do assume that, and I’m not saying this as a result of it’s my character. However I do assume that there’s some kind of grace available for people who find themselves in conditions the place… I’m not saying cheaters get excuses, however I do assume that it’s laborious to say something is black and white in relation to actual life individuals issues. I do assume that individuals have a tendency to simply simply instantly soar the gun to, “Oh, the cheater is the unhealthy particular person and the one who’s been cheated on is the poor sufferer.”
However, I believe, I don’t know, there’s been… I believe additionally in my more moderen private experiences, the place I’ve had simply run-ins, or oblique encounters with different individuals’s relationships, whether or not that’s really married {couples} or individuals in open relationships and all of those totally different relationships that really exist on this world, I believe… When it’s really in Yuri’s footwear I do assume that it was actually within the whim of the second. and it’s not like she calculated the way in which it was going to go.
I hope the viewers may give her some grace and attempt to empathize as a lot as they’ll, regardless that clearly it wasn’t a sensible selection. However I do really feel like everybody not less than as soon as of their life do one thing that we name silly. Or one thing we want we hadn’t carried out however it’s occurred. And I really feel like what we do with it after speaks extra for the particular person than that they did unsuitable. I want the viewers would give her a little bit grace and, I don’t know, simply type of hope to see her rising arc extra after.
Clearly there’s a hope that this present lasts a very long time. However in a submit XO, Kitty world, what do you see for your self as an actor? What do you hope to do after this?
Truthfully, I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about this in any interview, however XO, Kitty was actually out of left subject for me as a chance that got here round as an actor, particularly for my first massive business position. Previous to XO, Kitty, enjoying Yuri, I at all times gravitated in direction of and was enjoying, I discovered myself being solid in roles that have been extra, by way of style, extra like darks or dramas.
Yuri in XO, Kitty, it was simply fully one thing that I didn’t count on for myself. Neither would have my associates or lecturers in performing faculty who knew me as an individual. After we all talked about what we needed, what we see for one another, we have been all speaking about some political drama. Some like some darkish collection the place I’m a killer. I don’t know. One thing very totally different by way of tone from XO, Kitty, actually.
I believe due to that, it took me out of that consolation zone, which in flip has clearly been very rewarding, as a result of it made me discover components of myself and performing that I didn’t assume I’d discover. I do assume that as an actor, I nonetheless do gravitate a little bit extra in direction of… As a lot as I like comedy, I like watching comedy, it’s one in all my favourite genres, and romantic comedy at that. I’m a sucker for romantic comedy. However I believe as an actor I positively wish to discover one thing fully totally different.
I believe I’d like to, now that I’ve carried out this, I wish to go in the other way and type of play with all of the vary and every little thing in between. I believe as an actor I’m manifesting perhaps like some kind of darkish comedy even, or one thing very totally different in tone from XO, Kitty, for positive.