‘The Kissing Booth 2’ star Joel Courtney teases his character’s growth and the message he hopes fans take away from the sequel
‘The Kissing Booth 2’ star Joel Courtney on the plot
Joel Courtney spoke to Insider about reprising his role as Lee Flynn for Netflix’s “Kissing Booth” sequel and what fans can expect when the movie is released.
“I could tell in the first one that we were making a really special movie and on the second one, I knew the exact same thing,” the 24-year-old actor told us of returning for “The Kissing Booth 2,” which hits the streaming service on Friday.
“The Kissing Booth 2” picks up after the events of the 2018 movie and centers on Elle (Joey King) and Lee’s senior year as they submit college applications, gear up for another kissing booth at their school’s fundraiser, and navigate their romantic relationships.
Following the success of the first film, which Netflix hailed as “one of the most-watched movies in the country,” Courtney told Insider that he felt some pressure, but it “went away” once he stepped foot on the set.
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“It was one of those things where I was so elated to get the opportunity to come back and do a sequel and I started thinking like, ‘Oh wow, what are they going to think of the second one?'” Courtney recalled.
The actor said that his concerns dissipated because of the returning cast and crew members from the first film.
“I was so proud of the work that we were doing over there,” Courtney said. “I let it go. I was like, ‘No, I think we’re going to be just fine. I think fans are going to love this.’ And as it turns out, I think the second movie’s actually better than the first movie and I am so excited for people to see it and I really hope that they love it.”
When fans watch the sequel, they can expect Lee to be “the same fun-loving little goofball,” but with some maturity.
“He just loves with his entire heart and when he hurts he feels that hurt just as deeply,” Courtney said.
The actor said that Lee has changed in that he’s learned to accept his best friend Elle’s relationship with his older brother named Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi).
The pairing caused a rift in Lee and Elle’s longtime friendship because it violated one of their rules that they established as children (“relatives of best friends are off-limits”).
“He’s grown,” Courtney told us. “He’s matured a little bit, he’s learned an important lesson: that you can’t really put those kinds of limitations on the heart of your best friend if she happens to fall for your brother. That may not be your favorite, but you need to learn to accept it and take it for what it is.”
He added: “In the second movie, he comes in and he has some also equally as important hard lessons to learn and they rock his world a little bit.”
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“The Kissing Booth 2” introduces two new characters that shake up the status quo: a high school classmate named Marco (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a college girl named Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), who Noah meets during his first semester at Harvard University.
“They elevated us so much, Courtney said of his new costars, who he called “the most kind-hearted, talented people.”
He added: “They fit right into the dynamic on set. They made everyone feel so comfortable, everyone made them feel comfortable and welcomed them in with open arms. Honestly, our second movie would not be the movie that it is without them.”
Courtney hopes that the sequel can bring some joy and levity during times of unrest and uncertainty.
“I honestly just want people to have a good time,” the actor said. “The world is in a state of disarray, just turbulence and overhanging fear. And I just want people to have a really good quality feel-good movie and I want people to forget about their worries for about two hours and have a good time.”
Courtney added: “I want people to love this movie as much as I do. I’m such a fan. I’m as much of a fan as anyone out there. I love these characters and I just want people to enjoy it and forget about their problems a little bit.”
