The Real Love Story in 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' Is Between Lana Condor and Jenny Han
Han didn't know any other Asian families in her neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, and says middle school was "pretty tough" for her too. Han found solace in her Korean-American church and eventually switched to a more diverse high school that encouraged lifting up different cultures. The school even held Asian assemblies for people to share their pride for their culture. "It was just a whole new world for me that opened up," Han says. But the characters on TV and in movies she aspired to be like were mostly white, including Cher from Clueless. "I don't think I ever saw really Asian girls being cool or aspirational."
"All I want is for this representation to follow through to the fall, the winter, the spring, next summer, and the next, and the next."
—actress Lana Condor
Han hopes that seeing an Asian-American heroine in To All the Boys and this summer’s box office hit, all-Asian cast adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians will help young Asian people have someone to identify with. Still, she understands that you "don't get the full breadth or depth of the Asian-American experience with a couple of romantic comedies." That isn’t what either of these movies is setting out to do, she says—instead, they're giving a little "sliver of the pie in specific stories." Hopefully that will open the door for even more points of views and ways of looking at the world.
What was important for Han to distinguish in her book—and, in turn, the movie—is that the plot doesn't revolve around Lara Jean's race. "It's a part of her identity, but it doesn't make up the whole of it," she says. Condor echoes this, adding, "Lara Jean is not a character crafted based on the way she looks, and that's really important. Asian-Americans don't have to tap into just the way we look, or what people think we have to be. It's a very exciting week, and a very exciting summer, but all I want is for this representation to follow through to the fall, the winter, the spring, next summer, and the next, and the next. I don’t think Hollywood can ignore us anymore, and hopefully we will see more roles—leading roles—written for us."
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If Han has it her way, many of those leading roles will be written for Lana Condor. "From the very beginning, I told Lana I want her to keep working and for this to be a great stepping stone for the rest of her career," she says. "Young white actresses, like Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson, who are at the helms of YA franchises go on to have these big, amazing careers. I just wanted Lana to be able to have those same kind of opportunities. I didn't want it to be just a one-time thing for her to be the lead of a romantic comedy."
If it wasn't already apparent, the most impactful part of making To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before for both Han and Condor was the bond they formed. When Condor was cast, Han put together a To All the Boys get-ready pack with Korean snacks, candles, a diary, stationery, and Korean sheet masks to help her channel Lara Jean's spirit. They've texted every day since. "I'm very lucky; she changed my life. I couldn't be more honored to know her,” Condor says. “She's truly made my dreams come true, so I'm forever grateful for her. I don't think I could ever repay her."
To cap off a whirlwind week since the film premiered, I asked Han to share her own love letter to Condor as she heads onto her next project. “Dear Lana, you deserve all good things," she says. "All I want is to see you continue to shine. Love, Jenny."
Alyse Whitney is a writer and editor at Bon Appétit. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @alysewhitney.
