Highlights
- Jacob Elordi regrets starring in The Kissing Booth movies, calling them ridiculous and not universal.
- Elordi feels that doing studio films as a trade-off can be a trap, where you end up doing many for them and none for yourself.
- Joey King and Taylor Zakhar Perez respond to Elordi’s comments, with King enjoying the experience and Perez feeling it was a shame that Elordi felt that way.
In just a few years, Jacob Elordi went from an unknown newcomer to a Hollywood star. His journey toward stardom may have been rough in the beginning, but today, everything this Australian native has worked hard for is finally paying off. So far, he’s already managed to snag several major film roles; Elordi even nabbed a role as the late Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla. At the same time, Elordi has also found success in television, famously becoming that guy that fans love to hate in HBO’s Emmy-winning series, Euphoria.
Since then, Elordi has also had some time to look back on everything he has managed to achieve so far. And while the actor is certainly happy about how far he’s come, Elordi has also been vocal about his regrets over doing some movies when he was still building up his acting credits. His co-stars have also since spoken out about Elordi’s shocking confession.
Jacob Elordi Regrets Starring In The Kissing Booth Movies
Before Netflix’s The Kissing Booth, nobody really knew about Elordi. Back then, Jacob was a newcomer who developed an interest in acting after starring in high school plays. In The Kissing Booth movies, however, Elordi shot to fame after getting cast as Noah Flynn, the love interest to Joey King’s Shelly ‘Elle’ Evans who also happens to be her best friend’s older brother.
Elordi also ended up staying for both The Kissing Booth 2 and The Kissing Booth 3 (although Noah and Elle don’t exactly stay together in the final installment). That said, Elordi has also since revealed that he wouldn’t have necessarily remained in the franchise because he wasn’t into it.
“I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” the actor told GQ. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
And while Elordi understands the common Hollywood practice of agreeing to do a studio film in exchange for a project of their choice later on, he’s not convinced that things always worked out that way.
“That one’s a trap as well. Because it can become 15 for them, none for you,” the actor explained. He later added, “My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it.”
Since The Kissing Booth movies, Elordi has gravitated toward more serious material. Aside from Priscilla and Euphoria, the actor also starred in the thriller comedy Saltburn, the drama The Sweet East, and the crime drama He Went That Way.
Joey King Has Since Responded To Ex Jacob Elordi
Unlike Elordi, Joey King had already done several TV shows and films by the time she was cast in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth. That said, the franchise did give the actress more exposure, transforming her into a star and serious player in Hollywood (after executive producing two of the three films in the franchise, King went on to produce the Paramount+ romantic drama The In Between and the Hulu fantasy action series The Princess).
At the same time, The Kissing Booth franchise was also responsible for bringing King and Elordi together behind the scenes. It is believed that the former co-stars started dating sometime in 2017 but quietly went their separate ways just a year later. In the years that followed, King and Elordi had to work on the two other Kissing Booth movies together post-breakup.
Since wrapping up on The Kissing Booth 3, it’s unclear if the former co-stars and exes have remained in touch over the years. And when Variety’s Marc Malkin asked King about Elordi’s comments, it’s also unclear if the actress knew how Elordi truly felt about the franchise this whole time.
“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” the actress simply said. Unlike her former co-star, King also made it clear that she enjoyed making The Kissing Booth films “no matter what anyone says.”
Another Kissing Booth Co-Star Has Reacted To Jacob’s Admission Too
Meanwhile, it’s also unclear if Elordi has stayed in touch with his other castmates from The Kissing Booth, especially Joel Courtney who played his little brother Lee. That said, Taylor Zakhar Perez, who appeared in the two follow-up films as Noah’s rival, Marco Peña, had commented on Elordi’s interview.
While it’s unclear how close the two stars became on set, Perez later told Variety’s Malkin that it was “a shame” that Elordi felt that way about working on The Kissing Booth movies. The actor also said that the rest of the cast had “such a wonderful experience” on set.
Perez also added that he is happy to have been part of such a successful franchise that made people laugh while dealing with the COVID pandemic (Netflix released The Kissing Booth 2 and The Kissing Booth 3 in 2020 and 2021, respectively).
Elordi has yet to sign onto another Netflix project since The Kissing Booth franchise. Now, that he’s arrived, the actor gets to pick his projects and he already knows which ones to turn down. For instance, Elordi revealed that he was once asked to read for the part of DC Comics’ Superman, but he passed on it.
“That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.”
Source: NewsFinale
