Lana Condor knows she's "living every girl's fantasy" thanks to her recent film success alongside the Internet's favorite boyfriend Noah Centineo.
Condor is taking the movie industry by storm with her performances in flicks like the heartwarming To All The Boys I've Loved Before and the action-packed X-Men: Apocalypse. Rollacoaster magazine sat down with the starlet to talk love, changing representation in Hollywood and her real-life friendship with Centineo.
Lana and Noah stole our hearts in TATBILB, the story of a high school romance in which a teenager's private love letters unexpectedly get mailed to her crushes, forcing her to confront the boys she's admired.
The on-screen chemistry between Lara Jean (Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Centineo) is undeniable, and it turns out they have a pretty cool relationship IRL, too. Lana tells Rollacoaster, "I have this beautiful relationship with Noah, he's a great friend of mine in real life."
Consider us jealous.
The 21-year-old knows that everyone was team Lara Jean and Peter and that they made a very convincing couple.
She continues, "I would say that we probably did our job right if people like us together. I mean, when I watched the film back, I wanted Peter and Lara Jean to be together! So I completely understand that."
In addition to having Noah as a great friend in real life, she opened up about Anthony De La Torre, her boyfriend of three years who is also an actor. "I have this beautiful relationship with my real-life boyfriend. I don't know how I got so lucky!" she gushes.
Not to mention, she admits to being a hopeless romantic herself. Lana shares, "I was the girl in middle school who would write those little letters, like 'Do you like me? Do you not like me? Check yes or no!' I am a hopeless romantic."
She admits, "I still write love letters now and so does my boyfriend. He even draws pictures on the front. I would say he's more romantic than I am!" *Swoon*
When asked about the success of TATBILB, she explains to Rollacoaster that her role in the movie exemplified the potential for stereotypes to be broken in the entertainment industry.
"[The movie] was something that girls like me had never seen before. It brought girls that look different together and united them. And something that's so special about Lara Jean is that she's been written as a three-dimensional character, not based on stereotypes. I think Hollywood is going to try harder now," Lana points out.
Condor said she "could cry" of happiness about being a role model for younger girls. Even those outside the TATBILB demographic know she's something special. She told the magazine, "I had a dad come up to me the other day, and he said, 'I know I'm not the obvious target for your movie, but I just want to tell you that I'm really excited for when my daughter is a little older to watch it because I'm so happy that she has someone she can see that looks like her."'
As far as her personal early life goes, she was born by the name of Tran Don Lan in Vietnam, but was raised in Chicago, Ill. by her adopted parents. Her name was changed to Lana Condor when she was young. Her involvement in these blockbusters and ensuing stardom have helped sparked discussions between her and others about relatable aspects of their lives. "I've had so many conversations with girls who have come from biracial families, or who are adopted, or who are Asian but grew up elsewhere. It's really exciting to have people relate to that experience and I'm so happy to be a part of telling a story," she tells the publication.
Read more from Lana's interview in the Autumn/Winter 18 magazine issue of Rollacoaster.