‘XO, Kitty’ Cast Guide: Meet Everyone in Kitty Song Covey’s Squad
When Anna Cathcart was cast as Kitty Song Covey in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, she didn’t know she’d play the character for the rest of her teenage years, first in two more films and now the spin-off series XO, Kitty.
“I truly had no idea how much [Kitty] was going to change my life,” she told Tudum about vying for the role. “I had just turned 14 and at the time I was auditioning for a one-off little romance movie (that I absolutely loved). I was ecstatic [when I was cast], but so unaware of the incredible universe that I was about to enter.”
Read on to learn more about Kitty’s new squad in the series.
Anna Cathcart
The would-be matchmaker (and catalyst for the events that play out in the TAtB series, as Kitty sends out her sister’s not-meant-for-consumption love letters in the mail) decides to spend the new school year at her mother’s alma mater. As a bonus (okay, maybe as another major incentive), KISS is also where her boyfriend, Dae — whom Kitty met four years prior in To All the Boys: Always and Forever — is a student.
Cathcart has helped shape the character of Kitty since she graduated from middle school, but playing Kitty at a different stage in her life when she doesn’t necessarily have all the answers was a new challenge. “Kitty from the movies, one of her defining factors is that she’s very sure that she’s got it figured out and she feels like she knows the answer to everything. It’s also just that middle school confidence that kids have,” said Cathcart. “Now, we’re seeing her not so confident for the first time, and having things shift around her in ways that never have before.” Aside from the TAtB series, the Canadian actor is best known as Olympia in the PBS Kids series Odd Squad and Dizzy in Descendants 2 and 3.
You can follow Cathcart on Twitter and Instagram.
Minyeong Choi
A long distance relationship is hard — especially when it’s been long distance for four whole years. But, even though Dae and Kitty met when they were in seventh grade, they have talked on the phone constantly ever since.
Choi told Tudum that Dae is an “ordinary guy. What I loved about him was that he was warmhearted and he was sincere about everyone and he wanted to treat everyone for real.”
Choi has appeared in plenty of K-dramas, including Twenty Five Twenty One, Itaewon Class, Mr. Sunshine and more.
Gia Kim
Rich, gorgeous social media star Yuri is the daughter of two extremely successful parents: a high-powered businessman and the principal of KISS. She’s a paparazzi magnet, which means she has to keep her deepest secrets close to the vest.
This is theater grad Kim’s first major role, and she was waiting tables on a brunch shift when her manager called her to tell her she had booked the series. “When he told me I got the part, I broke down in tears,” she told Tudum. “I didn’t care if people were watching — I will never forget that moment. After that, I texted my mum to call me when she [woke] up (she was on Korea time). Then I went back to work like nothing had happened.”
XO, Kitty in particular has been a fun project for Kim because, “I love love. I love rom- coms, I love romance,” she said. Kim was especially drawn to how the series plays with typical rom-com tropes. “Once two characters hate each other, I’m rooting for them to be together.”
You can follow Kim on Instagram.
Sang Heon Lee
The ultra-privileged Min Ho is used to getting his way — especially after his parents’ messy divorce left him to his own devices most of the time. While it may seem as though Min Ho cares more about skincare routine than anything else, he’s actually fiercely loyal to his friends, including longtime buddy Dae.
“The feeling that went through my body was unreal,” Lee told Tudum about the moment he was cast in the role. “I surprised my mum when I got home and called my whole family to share the good news. And also I was finally able to eat properly. I couldn’t eat properly during the time of auditions because I was so nervous.”
Like his character, Lee has also traveled extensively. “I think he’s a very spoiled version of me if I was young, because I’ve also studied in different parts of the world. High school in Hong Kong, a little bit of Korea and university was England. [There are] so many places I’ve been, there’s so many people that I have interacted with from different parts of the world,” he said.
After XO, Kitty, Lee will appear in the film adaptation of video game Gran Turismo.
You can follow Lee on Instagram.
Anthony Keyvan
Fellow American Q quickly becomes Kitty’s best friend and confidante. He is one of the school’s few openly gay students. And, Keyvan told Tudum, “the writers decided to make him half Iranian, half Filipino like me!”
“This was the first time I’d ever played a character that was 100% authentically me, and that’s not an opportunity that a lot of people like me get,” he said. “It was absolutely refreshing. It was the most fulfilling opportunity to get to do something like that, to bring representation to not only myself, but other people who look like me; Filipinos, half Filipinos, half Iranians, half Middle Eastern people, half Asian people. It’s just not something we get to see all the time in media.”
The TV veteran has appeared on everything from Grey’s Anatomy to NCIS, and is best known for playing high schooler Rahim on Love, Victor.
You can follow Keyvan on Instagram.
Théo Augier
Another one of KISS’s international students, the very cosmopolitan Florian is French and Greek. Like many of XO, Kitty’s characters, he’s bound to catch someone’s eye. But can he balance his personal life with the demands of a high-pressure school?
Augier has appeared in multiple French-language projects, including teen fantasy series Endless Night.
You can follow Augier on Instagram.
Yunjin Kim
The principal of KISS is also an alum of the school — and mom of Kitty’s new classmate, Yuri.
Best known to American audiences as Sun in Lost, Kim’s breakout role was a North Korean assassin in the film Shiri; she has worked in both Korean and American film and television ever since. Most recently, she starred as a psychiatrist in the sexy soap Mistresses, and she played investigator Seon Woojin in Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area.
Peter Thurnwald
One of Kitty’s new teachers is from Melbourne, Australia. Just like Kitty, he's also assimilating to life at KISS.
Like his character, Thurnwald grew up Down Under. He’s best known for his role on Australian dramedy Bump, plus episodes of Young Rock and Players.
You can follow Thurnwald on Instagram.
Michael K. Lee
A super-tough teacher at KISS, who gives Kitty a wake-up call when it comes to treating her school work with a seriousness that might not have been expected at her US high school. But, is there a softer side to this by-the-books teacher?
The American-born Lee now resides in Seoul, and is known for his work in musical theater (Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar), as well as appearances in TV shows like Korean Odyssey and The Shield.
Jocelyn Shelfo
The daughter of a business associate of Yuri’s dad, Madison is a K-pop obsessed student at KISS.
Shelfo appeared in Jenny Han’s TV adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
You can follow Shelfo on Instagram.
Regan Aliyah
One of Yuri’s closest friends, Juliana is also a student at KISS.
Rapper Aliyah can next be seen in the Marvel series Ironheart.
You can follow Aliyah on Instagram and Tik Tok.
