In less than a week, the final installment of Netflix’s All The Boys is coming our way, which means it's almost time to say our goodbyes to Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s young romance. The roles have been monumental to Lana Condor and Noah Centineo’s blossoming careers, but becoming so famous overnight is not an adjustment either of them could ever prepare for.
Lana Condor became a household name at the age of 21 when the first All The Boys I’ve Loved Before hit the streaming service and turned into a massive hit. Ahead of the premiere of the third movie, Condor talked to Self about blowing up in Hollywood so fast and brightly:
[The first movie] was received way better than I had ever imagined in my wildest dreams. It changed much of my life very quickly. And then I was shooting this television show that was really dark. I was just saying yes to everything because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you want to capitalize on it, and you want to feel like you're fully embracing everything. But I've never felt more horrible mentally. I was so burned out.... I would go home at night and I couldn't speak. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I would shake going to bed and shake waking up because it was just so much stimulation.
Just following the making of the first To All The Boys movie, Condor went right into the action series Deadly Class and found a role in Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, but it was too much for her to deal with all at once. The actress suffered some mental health struggles right after becoming a hugely successful new star that she wasn’t expecting. She felt some pressure to take on multiple opportunities, and it became an unexpectedly dark time for her. Condor continued:
I was on the phone with my team and I had this moment where I just was in tears, telling them that I don't feel okay. And they were all shocked because I wasn't open about my feelings. No one knew. When I had that conversation with them, it was like a new beginning. Now I know the power of sharing that.
Lana Condor has since also had honest conversations with her parents, who suggested that she slow down after being “clearly unhappy” from taking on so much at once. She was living a completely different life than she ever had before, previously known only as Jubilee on X-Men: Apocalypse, which was her first film role ever. She said she had been hesitant to open up about her struggles before, believing that people would minimize it as “champagne problems” since she has found success. But it’s a reminder to anyone taking on a lot of responsibility at a time that we can only handle so much.
Lana Condor almost tried to take on more when she auditioned for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to play Rose Tico, a part that went to Kelly Marie Tran. Condor was down to the last couple people before the role went to Tran, but she may be saying good riddance to that. The Star Wars role dealt with an onslaught of online hate that led to her to quit social media. Either way, Condor has since gained some perspective on working in Hollywood, recently moving up to Seattle to get away from the Los Angeles hustle and bustle. She’ll be starring and executive producing a comedy series for Netflix next.
Lana Condor’s last time as Lara Jean is just a few days away, as All The Boys: Always And Forever comes to Netflix on Friday, February 12. Check out what other new February movies to get excited about here on CinemaBlend.
