This fall, Jacob Elordi is on big screens everywhere, starring in two buzzy movies, each by an Oscar-winning writer-director: Sofia Coppola'sPriscilla and Emerald Fennell's Saltburn. Before these major roles, fans knew him best as Nate Jacobs on the hit HBO series Euphoria. But, back in 2018, Elordi had his breakout moment in the Netflix teen rom-com, The Kissing Booth, which spawned two sequels. The Australian actor played the bad boy role opposite Joey King in the franchise, which revolves around a high school love triangle. But while those movies raised his profile, the 26-year-old revealed that he never even wanted to be in them.
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In a new interview with British GQ, Elordi looked back on the Kissing Booth trilogy, and what he had to say may come as a disappointment to fans of the teen romance series.
"I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies," the actor told GQ. "Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape."
The interviewer pointed out that perhaps starring in the rom-com franchise was part of the "one for the, one for me" plan that some movie stars follow—some movies are for the money or to get ahead in their careers and others are passion projects.
"That one’s a trap as well. Because it can become 15 for them, none for you," Elordi responded. "You have no original ideas and you’re dead inside. So it’s a fine dance. My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it."
Elordi shared that he feels much happier in his career now and with the type of projects he is taking on. For instance, he is currently filming a movie, Oh, Canada, with director Paul Schrader, in which he plays a younger version of Richard Gere's character. Of the shift in his roles, Elordi said, "That’s probably why I’m so happy, because now judgment and comments on the internet and stuff, it’s… I’m in the movie now."
Warning: Explicit language in video above.
This is not the first time that Elordi has shared his regrets about The Kissing Booth. In a 2021 interview with Esquire, he explained that he was worried that starring in such fluffy fare might impact the sorts of opportunities he'd have in the future.
"I used to worry a lot about what people thought about me, and about the kind of actor I was because of the movies I'd made," he said. "I just felt very corny, and I felt like I had to prove to everyone that I was a serious actor. I felt terribly misunderstood ... I got guarded for a little while, because I made a teen movie. I don't want to come to the end of my career and have not been candid and said what's going on and how it feels. So this is the start of me being open, I guess."
In a 2022 interview with GQ, Elordi even revealed The Kissing Booth movies made him consider quitting acting, because of the fame that came along with becoming a teen idol. Of the idea of walking away, he admitted, "[It] might sound quite sensitive and dramatic, but I am sensitive and I’m very dramatic. I hated being a character to the public. I felt so far from myself.” He continued, "It felt like, all of a sudden, I was a poster. Like I was a billboard. It felt like it was for sale. Then my brain went through the [expletive] wringer. Like, I wasn’t sure if I was genuine."
Speaking to British GQ, Elordi reflected on the idea that he might be considered "pretentious" by some for expressing these thoughts. He asked, "How is caring about your output pretentious? But not caring, and knowingly feeding people [expletive], knowing that you’re making money off of people’s time, which is literally the most valuable thing that they have—how is that the cool thing?"
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