The cast and crew of ‘To All the Boys’ discusses the end of the popular series

Since the release of its first film in 2018, the “To All the Boys” series has been one of Netflix’s most popular releases worldwide. The teen romance series, focusing on the story of Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), wrapped up with its final installment, “To All the Boys: Always and Forever,” released Feb. 12. On Tuesday, the School of Cinematic Arts hosted a Q&A with several members of the cast and crew over Zoom.

The panelists included director and director of photography Michael Fimognari, screenwriter Katie Lovejoy and executive producer Robyn Marshall, all alumni of SCA. Additionally, actresses Anna Cathcart (Kitty), Madeleine Arthur (Chris) and Emilija Baranac (Genevieve) were also present. The conversation was moderated by SCA’s director of programming, Alex Ago.

The first topics of the discussion centered around the adaptation of the film, both from the original book written by Jenny Han, and from the other installments in the trilogy. Katie Lovejoy talked about her writing process, stating that she wanted the film to feel thematically similar to the rest of the trilogy, but also represent the characters growing up and maturing.

“The characters are growing up and the stakes are getting more real and more grounded,” Lovejoy said, while discussing how the third film explores the characters tackling mature topics like college decisions and the start of the rest of their lives. 

Lovejoy also brought up how each film in the series follows a love triangle, but the love triangle in the last film is Lara Jean’s choice between Peter or New York City. She must choose between going to University of California, Berkeley to be close to Peter, or forging her own path by going to New York University. Lovejoy believes this shows maturity in Lara Jean while also staying true to the original storylines of the other films.

Fimognari, having worked as the director of photography on all three films and directing the final two, discussed how he maintained a consistent visual look throughout the trilogy.

“It was important to me as a director that you’d be able to push play on the first and see it evolve and see the characters grow up but also feel like you’re contained in the same world,” he said. 

Fimognari stated that the greatest arc in the series is in the relationship between Lara Jean and Genevieve, as they slowly evolve from rivals to friends and end up attending the same college. Emilija Baranac also touched on this relationship, stating that she was happy to see that her character and Lara Jean had become “two women that can come together and just talk.” 

Baranac revealed that a scene in which Gen knocks on the door of Lara Jean’s dorm room was cut from the film, but she wishes it had stayed in to show the possibility of them forming a friendship.

The actresses all touched on their experiences with comedy on set, and how Fimognari allowed them to improvise some of their own comedic moments, such as in the montage when the characters explore New York City. They also had a role in choosing what their characters wore in the film, particularly for each character’s prom look. 

Audience member Ann Vu asked the actresses where they saw their characters’ lives going after the end of the film. Arthur said that she believes Chris is a free spirit who won’t settle down for a while, but she also thinks she might end up in the music industry. Cathcart said that Kitty will probably become the student council president in high school and will continue to not let anyone push her around. Baranac believes that Gen and Lara Jean will be friends in college and that Gen might end up working with kids or giving back in some other way.

Each audience member that asked a question prefaced their question by telling the cast and crew how much this series meant to them. It’s a series that reached young audiences around the world and while the series is over, it’s clear that it will continue to captivate audiences and cement its role as a classic teen romance.

“To All the Boys: Always and Forever” is streaming on Netflix now.