Lana Condor told “to be more like Hello Kitty” during casting

In less than a month, fans will finally get to see Lana Condor and Noah Centineo heat up the screens in “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You”. The highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2018 romantic comedy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” will premiere on Netflix on February 12.

The movie — based on Jenny Han’s young adult novel of the same title — launched Condor and her on-screen partner Centineo to overnight fame. Since then, Condor has been one of the most recognizable faces in young Hollywood. But on her way to becoming a top-billing actress, she’s faced some setbacks along the way.

Condor made a recent revelation to Teen Vogue ahead of the teenage rom-com sequel’s release. The star had her fair share of tone-deaf comments during casting being someone of Asian descent. During one of her auditions, the Vietnamese American actress was once told: “to be more like Hello Kitty”. She didn’t take this sitting down and she shared her feisty response to Variety.

“I remember when she said that, I just was like, ‘I don’t know what you mean.’ I straight up — you kind of have to call that out,” the Netflix star told Variety studio.

She continued, “Also, Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth. [So as] a woman, I’m like, ‘One, you want me to be more like Hello Kitty, but she doesn’t have a voice.” That’s so insulting to me.”

Asian representation is at an all-time high but nonetheless, more steps need to be taken toward inclusivity and diversification in Hollywood — something that Condor agrees with.

“…there’s still so much more work to be done in the industry and to knock out that ignorance,” the actress said.

Laura Ebeling
Laura Ebeling
Laura is a reporter and a gossip columnist for Best in Australia. She focuses on celebrities, science and social affairs in Australia and worldwide.
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