This past Wednesday, USC’s APASA (Asian Pacific American Student Assembly) hosted Lana Condor at Bovard Auditorium. Moderated by two APASA members, Ashley Kim and Sage Muthy, the night consisted of Condor discussing her identity as a Vietnamese American and an adoptee, as well as her favorite memories from her breakout film “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
Condor provided more insight into the highly popular movie, explaining that the first “To All the Boys” movie was actually made independently. “It was almost like the stakes were really low so you could really just trust your gut instincts,” Condor said. “[Once Netflix bought the film] it was really important for me to one, stick to, as close as I could, to the character from the book and also genuinely show her truly growing up.”
Condor also discussed balancing the romance of the content with the coming-of-age story, saying that she “never wanted it to feel like she [Lara Jean] was solely defined by her romantic relationships.”
While Lara Jean made memories throughout high school, Condor, too, had many memorable moments on set, some of which she highlighted during the event. “My favorite days were when the whole cast was working together,” Condor said. Additionally, she was able to share her experience of her immediate rise to fame with Noah Centineo, stating that they got to “navigate this very weird […] instant exposure” together.
It was her castmates who understood the nuances of the situation and she said they made her feel less alone. She mentioned that a humorous moment of meeting a few fans in a sauna was when she realized that things truly had changed for her in terms of recognition.
Condor also gushed over her love for Anna Cathcart, who plays her younger sister, Kitty, in “To All The Boys” and that her appearance on “XO, Kitty” is “up to whether they [the show makers] want me to be in it and […] my availability.” However, Condor did mention that “if Anna ever wanted anything from me, I would do anything for her in a heartbeat.”
Condor also discussed what it meant to be a trailblazer for Asian American representation in more fun and carefree films. “When I first got that pre-read audition […] I remember being so shocked out of my mind that it said that they were looking for an Asian American actress,” Condor said. After the pre-read, she knew “I have to have this role.”
Once she did book the role, she knew she had a responsibility to honor the representation hoping she would make at least one person feel noticed. “The world represented on screen and the [real] world doesn’t look one way,” Condor said. “If I can make one person feel seen then I feel like I succeeded.” She also acknowledged that there has been an improvement in casting, with studios not boxing in roles and people, but she knows that there is always more work to be done.
Another aspect of Condor’s identity is that she is an adoptee who was adopted from Vietnam very young. “I wanted to be open about my adoption because adoption is really beautiful,” Condor said. “I hope that people feel less alone.”
Condor has also worked with the Asian Foundation to open a scholarship in her name to give girls from her hometown in Vietnam a four-year high school education. She was able to collaborate with the Girls Opportunity Alliance, Michelle Obama’s foundation to empower young girls through education and build schools in Vietnam.
As the night concluded, Condor’s biggest piece of advice to her younger self and college students is to listen to their gut instincts no matter the consequences.