“The most special moment is getting to hear how this show has impacted people's real lives,” gushes Anna Cathcart, who stars as the eponymous Kitty Song Covey in XO, Kitty, to PRIDE. “I've had many people, even personally, who I've known in my life, or who I went to elementary school with, or someone that I haven't talked to in a long time, reach out and say Kitty's experience with her sexuality and how she discovered that and how she went through it, is so reflective of something that they'd gone through in their own lives. Just hearing that this could help them feel prouder of who they are is something that, honestly, I will never take lightly, and it just means so so much.”
It could sound trite, but in 2025, when a real and pervasive feeling of anxiety is moving through the queer community about their continued safety, let alone visibility, these bright spots of representation, connection, and empathy just hit differently. There’s a reminder of the power of seeing and being seen that can easily be taken for granted. But for Cathart, and her costars Anthony Keyvan, Gia Kim, and Regan Aliyah Dennis-Jones, who regularly hear from fans who are moved by their characters and performance, it's impossible to ignore the show's impact.
Courtesy of Netflix
For the uninitiated, the series is a spin-off of the massively popular To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before films. It sees the movie’s lead character’s youngest sister, Kitty, heading off to an elite school in Seoul, South Korea in pursuit of both a relationship with her longtime boyfriend and to learn more about the mother she lost as a child — and who attended that same school at her age. She discovers a lot: Secrets about her classmates and even the school faculty, that the road to romance is never as smooth as it is in our fantasies, and that her romantic desires are a bit more complicated than she realizes when she ends up falling for her rival turned friend, Yuri (Kim).
The first season ends with Kitty realizing she has strong feelings for Yuri, but isn’t quite ready to fully act on them — particularly since, with her help, Yuri has reunited with her girlfriend Juliana (Dennis-Jones). It’s all very dramatic in the ways you would expect from a teen drama, but it's also incredibly sweet, wholesome, heartwarming, and, if you’ve ever had a crush on a friend, relatable. This is due in large part to its charming and charismatic cast, led by Cathcart, who was enthusiastic about leaning into Kitty’s bisexuality in season two.
Courtesy of Netflix
“Honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of the season, favorite parts of the show,” she says. “I love that we get to explore this part of her and do it in such a way that it just shows her being so, so comfortable with who she is, which is not something that's easy and something that requires a lot of bravery. That's something I admire about Kitty a lot.”
Despite Yuri being happily committed to Juliana, Kitty is determined to strike out on her journey of self-discovery and even begins dating a new girl in school. What’s refreshing to see is what a nonissue this pursuit is for Kitty, her family, and her schoolmates.
“Getting to see her so determined and so excited to jump into this part of who she is, which I know can be a very, very scary thing, but she's diving in head first. It's so lovely to see on screen, and to see a teen in that space,” says Cathcart. “There's a lot less uncertainty this time, and there's a lot more power in her identity. I loved getting to explore that. It was so special.”
Courtesy of Netflix
This newfound confidence is bolstered by a cast of queer characters including Kitty’s closest friend Q, played by Love, Victor’s Keyvan who has plenty of romantic drama of his own, but who, like Kitty, grows a lot in this sophomore season. “Q had an interesting choice in season one. I think his heart was there, though, and I think there was love there with Florian. He definitely made some choices that kind of caused a rift and made the entire school feel a certain way about him,” Keyvan tells PRIDE. “With season two, we're seeing him being able to explore love on his own, instead of with the assistance of Kitty. We love Kitty being a matchmaker and all, but sometimes it has to happen organically.”
There are many lessons in the series, not that it's by any means didactic. It's more that the show is a reflection of how love and the pursuit of personal identity can be messy and there are plenty of bumps in the road along the way. But that’s what makes it relatable, and it’s that connection with the audience that Kim is repeatedly blown away and moved by. “Honestly, it's been such a rewarding journey,” she tells PRIDE, adding that getting to portray queer love in a way that continues to normalize it has been a powerful experience. “I feel like it's so normal that I forget that they're queer love lines. It's just love. You know, love is love, is love,” she says. “I do get personal DMs from fans who watch the show, and they tell me about how this show has impacted them specifically, even in their lows. And it's so touching.”
Courtesy of Netflix
For Dennis-Jones, who plays Yuri’s onscreen love, this is even more personal. “I live my life very out, proud, and loud. So I think it's really cool to be on a show that's also very out and loud and proud about it as well,” she tells PRIDE. “We’re not trying to sneak those storylines in. No, this is what it is. You're gonna accept it, and you might learn something about yourself or learn something about the people around you.”
“I know when I was young and trying to figure out, am I a lesbian? I'm not. Am I this? Am I blah, blah, blah. I would have loved to see these characters figuring out love,” Dennis-Jones continues. “This probably would have helped me, and I probably would have come out a little bit sooner, because I saw myself being reflected on screen in this”.
Courtesy of Netflix
That sentiment is something the cast as a whole comes together around, and sees as the show — and their work in particular — having the power to not just entertain, but also help those who’ve struggled with similar situations in their lives.
“It is the number one reminder that I love what I do,” Cathcart concludes. “I'm so grateful I get to do this, because even if it's just a few people, if you can make them feel more loved and understood, it's such a powerful thing that I do not take lightly.”
