To All The Boys star Noah Centineo plans to do more than acting

MANILA, Philippines — Noah Centineo is saying goodbye to his well-loved character Peter Kavinsky as Netflix’s To All The Boys film trilogy has reached the end with Always and Forever.

It’s been more than a good run, starting with the 2018 release of the first film To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (followed by P.S. I Still Love You in 2020) that launched the 24-year-old American actor into stardom, made him Netflix’s favorite leading man, not to mention gave him a passionate fandom that anointed him as the “Internet’s Boyfriend.”

Noah spoke fondly about the fans in response to The STAR’s question during a virtual roundtable interview with him recently.

“It’s kind of crazy, right, like being called the Internet’s boyfriend. I don’t know how to use that, how to deal with that at all! You know, I kind of just go, ‘Oh good.’ It’s certainly incredible to know that I have such a strong group of people that I love and adore, and who enjoy the stuff that I do. It’s great to be able to interact with them at times. And I just feel lucky, you know.”

‘I’ve been doing a lot of reading for different projects and figuring out when everything opens up what to do next. And I think I’ve landed on a few that I’m really, really excited about, and setting up to produce some things… because I don’t necessarily want to act in everything that I’m a part of. I found a few stories that I’m really passionate about, especially branch-ing out to like a really younger audience.’

Noah also shared what he would miss the most in playing Peter, the love of To All The Boys heroine Lara Jean Covey’s life. “I think my favorite thing was how fun he was, how lighthearted he was. You know, being able to portray someone who’s a romantic, who’s such a good lover, or someone who listens and doesn’t pressure, it’s just a fun, feel-good character, and I think that’s great!” he said.

In case you don’t know, the three films adapted from American author Jenny Han’s New York Times best-selling YA books saw how the love story of Lara Jean (played by Lana Condor) and Peter started and bloomed amid their young-adult concerns and challenges — from forming relationships, meeting family expectations, to discovering who they want to be, especially in the third and last instalment where they’re on the cusp of college life.

Noah will certainly miss the work environment and everyone involved in bringing this love story to life. He said, “It was such a family, you know! And it felt very magical and fun when we were on set (in Vancouver and in New York for the final film). So, I miss that! But I also look forward to finding other families and other sets.”

“I’ll miss not being able to deliver, you know, more projects to the same, exact fandom. It’s like there’s no more story written. So, I think it’s so exciting when we get to release another film, you know, the next chapter of the story with LJ and Peter. I’ll miss not being able to give more to the fandom,” he further expressed.

When asked to imagine how Peter and Lara Jean’s story will evolve in a fourth movie (should it ever happen), Noah said, “I think Mark Ruffalo should be cast to play Peter in the future. I think that’d be sick. Maybe, we do it like they’re in their 40s or something. And maybe they’ve been separated for a little while, they both got married, had kids and recently divorced or something, then they meet and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, we had this incredible love when we were younger. Is it still there?’ It would be a good fourth movie.”

One thing is for sure, after working on the films over the years, Noah has grown not just as an actor but as a person.

“You know, it’s been almost four years, right, so there’s been a lot of, I would say, growth as a person. I think you changed a lot in your 20s and your teenage years to 20s. So, I would say that I like to pull from my personal experience and acting. I don’t know. I guess I grew a little bit, but who knows? So the next projects come out and you guys see him. Let’s see! We’ll see if there’s been any growth at all.”

As for his co-star Lana, as they pursue different projects and paths after To All The Boys, she will always have his back, and vice-versa. “You know, we’ve obviously become very, very close friends. Since then, we have each other’s back. There’s just such a strong familiarity between the two of us. And yes, it’s wild! It’s really, really cool we’ve come through this entire process, and we’re closer than we ever had been before.”

Noah (as Peter Kavinsky) shares a sweet moment with leading lady Lana Condor (as Lara Jean Covey) in a scene from Always and Forever.

So, what’s next for Noah after To All The Boys?

“I’ve been doing a lot of reading for different projects and figuring out — when everything opens up — what to do next. And I think I’ve landed on a few that I’m really, really excited about, and setting up to produce some things… because I don’t necessarily want to act in everything that I’m a part of.

“I found a few stories that I’m really passionate about, especially branching out to like a really younger audience. I was always fascinated with things like Blue’s Clues... and Clifford the Big Red Dog. These younger shows had so much impact in my life. And I’m really interested in kind of, like, how Peter felt like when his father abandoned him. I’m really interested whether it’s YouTube or Disney shows or just young, animated shows for kids.

“I think, these shows and these stories ultimately teach children a lot about life, when their parents can’t or are unable to. And so, I have been thinking a lot about maybe diving into, like, the younger audiences for a show of some sort. There’s just been a lot of stuff like that, thinking about projects and what these projects would look like, and what I’m doing next season, etcetera.”

(To All The Boys: Always and Forever is now streaming on Netflix.)