Anna Cathcart on the “beautiful” queer storylines in ‘XO, Kitty’

To all the boys – and girls – Kitty Song-Covey has loved before.

When Anna Cathcart found out that her To All the Boys fan-favorite character would be exploring her sexuality as part of Netflix’s spinoff XO, Kitty, she “was just so excited,” she told ABC Audio. In celebration of Pride Month, Cathcart spoke about what it was like to develop Kitty as a queer character on the new series.

“I think our show does it in a way that is really special,” Cathcart said. “We have a lot of different queer characters on our series, as well, and it shows that queer stories are not always the same and everybody’s journey is not always the same. And I hope viewers find comfort in that.”

XO, Kitty offers up multiple love interests for Kitty, including Yuri, a classmate who goes from a romantic rival to a friend she develops feelings for.

“I love that Kitty is just giving herself the space to figure it out. And she doesn’t have to have all the answers,” Cathcart said. “By the end of the season she still doesn’t, and that’s what she’s learning. It’s OK, and it’s part of the process, and what makes it so beautiful.”

One of the best parts of developing Kitty’s character in this way, Cathcart says, is now having this kind of meaningful representation out in the world.

“Seeing this kind of storyline on screen, especially two Asian girls, is really special. To see that dynamic and that specific type of representation is really not super common,” Cathcart said. “Those are the moments that are the most special, when you can tell that it actually impacted somebody in the real world, real life. And it’s always very, very touching to get to be a part of that.”  

XO, Kitty is streaming now on Netflix.